Premier Smith’s comments either ignorant or dishonest
By Lethbridge Herald on May 9, 2025.
Editor,
Congratulations to Danielle Smith for single-handedly embarrassing the entire province of Alberta in just one 20-minute speech.
It’s actually quite impressive how much misinformation, nationalistic pandering, and historical revisionism she managed to cram into such a short timeframe. Those 20 minutes were not just misleading they were an insult to the intelligence of anyone who values facts, accountability, and the truth just showing that she relies on the uneducated.
Let’s start with one of her first bold—and blatantly false—claims: that Canada is the only country on earth that possesses the number and quality of natural resources we have. This is objectively untrue. Countries like Russia, the United States, Brazil, and even Australia boast not only comparable but, in many cases, greater and more diversified reserves of key natural resources. Russia alone has significantly larger oil and gas reserves than Canada.
So, for a premier of a province to make such a demonstrably false claim on a national stage is either ignorant or dishonest—or both. Then, just a few minutes into her speech, she proudly states that Alberta has never asked for handouts or special treatment.
Again false. Alberta has repeatedly benefited from federal equalization programs and support during downturns in the oil and gas industry. Let’s not forget the significant federal assistance provided during the COVID-19 pandemic or during economic busts in previous decades.
Denying these facts is not only misleading—it rewrites history. Next up: the claim that the federal Liberal government has “targeted” Alberta by cancelling oil and gas projects and implementing a ban on tanker traffic that could transport oil to new markets.
This statement distorts reality. The so-called “tanker ban” (actually Bill C-48) only applies to crude oil tankers along the north coast of British Columbia—a region that is environmentally sensitive and home to several Indigenous communities that opposed such developments.
Even then, Alberta does have existing and potential routes—like the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (which the federal government actually purchased and is currently constructing)—to get its oil to tidewater. So, this narrative that Alberta is being uniquely punished just doesn’t hold up.
And now, the pièce de résistance: Smith claims that federal “anti-resource development policies” have “scared away half a trillion dollars”—yes, $500 billion—in global investment in Alberta’s oil industry.
That number is not just inflated; it’s laughably disconnected from economic reality. For comparison, Alberta’s entire GDP is around $400 billion. Claiming we’ve lost more than the province produces in a year due to “scared investors” is not just misleading—it’s propaganda.
Even if you stacked together every major shelved oil project over the last decade across Canada, you wouldn’t come close to that figure. And those projects were often shelved due to global oil price collapses, corporate decisions to divest from fossil fuels, and global market shifts—not federal policies alone.
She then ends by once again flirting with the idea of Alberta separatism. It’s a recurring theme in her rhetoric—a hollow threat that has no economic or legal grounding. Alberta could maybe entertain the fantasy of separation if it actually had that magical half-trillion dollars that she was talking about.
But the reality is this: Alberta benefits enormously from being part of Canada. We receive federal transfers, we access interprovincial markets, and our people enjoy the stability and infrastructure of a well-established federal system.
Separation isn’t just unlikely, it’s financially and politically suicidal. To wrap up: Danielle Smith has proven herself to be a dangerously misinformed and ideologically driven premier who’s more concerned with stoking division than solving real problems. In a single speech, she demonstrated a lack of understanding of economics, history, federalism, and basic facts.
Joshua Dillabough
Lethbridge
18-17
I too thought Premier Smiths comments were counter-productive and also voted Liberal, not because I am a liberal party member but because I think Carney is the best person for the job. Now to your letter, several statements you make are incorrect. The last time Alberta got equalization was in 64/65 60 years ago. GDP is a measurement of goods and services produced not investment. You can make an investment and it might take 20 years to make that money back. Transfer fees? These are taxes paid to the federal treasury by Alberta taxpayers and quite frankly we pay a helluva lot more than we get back, which is fine as long as it’s used for canadian purposes not through equalization which funnels it for political purposes. I hope PM Carney takes his role and election promises seriously, time will tell.
Scroll to the Alberta chart or read the entire page.
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/programs/federal-transfers/major-federal-transfers.html#Alberta
Equalization payments in Canada are federal funds distributed to provinces with lower fiscal capacity to ensure a more equitable distribution of resources and services across the country. They are based on a formula that compares a province’s ability to generate revenue per capita with the national average. Provinces with lower fiscal capacity receive payments to bring their per capita spending closer to the national average.
Sounds like someone out of high school with no life experience or perspective of economics. Maybe looking for a government job in the future so he can be a net receiver. Work for 30 years and get back to us.
Of course, rather then rebut the numbers the writer produced, you just take a shot over the bow and a lame one at that ….here..have another negative vote, jacka$$
Absolutely correct Joshua. Smith has wasted more money and energy pandering to her radical right wing supporters all in the service of keeping her job rather than concentrate on good governance for the benefit of all Albertans. The only thing she is really good at is shooting her mouth off.
Smith is using Orange Man’s playbook perfectly. If facts are detrimental to ur agenda then lie, cheat and change the rules to appease ur cult followers in order to stay in power. She must be held accountable until the day her sorry ass is punted out of govt then she can go live in the USA. I’m hopeful her irrational and poorly thought out policies can be reversed once she’s history.