The Legislative Assembly in Alberta approved early today the controversial "Alberta Sovereignty" law that the province's new Premier, Danielle Smith, had promised to introduce.

The bill’s provisions that granted the government the authority to override the legislature and rewrite laws as it sees fit were removed; the United Conservative Party (UCP), led by Smith, used its parliamentary majority to pass an amendment stating that the Legislative Assembly always has the final and decisive word in legislation.

The party's MPs then moved directly to the third and final reading of the bill, which was adopted around one a.m.

Speaking about the bill, Smith said the time had come to reorganize relations with the federal government headed by Justin Trudeau.

Immediately after the law was passed, Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Rachel Notley harshly criticized it on Twitter.

Also, the left-leaning New Democratic Party, which forms the official opposition in the Edmonton legislature, voted against the amendment and against the bill in all three readings, describing the new law as “a total mess” of unconstitutional assumptions and power whims that undermine the democratic process and cool commercial investments in Alberta.

Sarah Hoffman, deputy leader of the New Democratic Party, said the United Conservative Party was forced to use its parliamentary majority to choke off debate in its three stages about the bill in order to pass it just a week and a half after its introduction by Smith to undermine the growing opposition to it.

The bill was introduced by Smith as key legislation to take a more confrontational approach with Trudeau’s government in Ottawa over a range of issues seen as federal interference in areas that fall under Alberta’s jurisdiction.

The bill also faced widespread criticism from the start because of clauses granting Smith and her ministers broad powers to rewrite laws. Smith initially denied that the bill gave such authority, but amid growing anger, she announced over the weekend that changes would be made.