Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her United Conservative Party retained control of Canada’s top oil-producing province in an election Monday, setting up a series of energy-policy clashes with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
(Bloomberg) — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her United Conservative Party retained control of Canada’s top oil-producing province in an election Monday, setting up a series of energy-policy clashes with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Smith’s UCP won was on track to win enough seats in the provincial legislature to form a majority government, defeating the left-leaning New Democratic Party, according to projections from Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Smith, 52, became premier last fall by winning her party’s leadership after her predecessor stepped down amid dissatisfaction with his handling of the pandemic.
The victory threatens to complicate Trudeau’s quest to fulfill Canada’s climate commitments. Smith has opposed a plan to make the nation’s electricity grids net zero by 2035, and she has promised to fight efforts to slash emissions from the province’s oil sands.
Beyond energy, Smith has floated the ideas of pulling Alberta out of Canada’s main pension plan and replacing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with a provincial force.
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