Amid the struggle to lead the United Conservative Party, Danielle Smith attacked the Premier of Alberta, who described her separatist proposals as madness.

For her part, Danielle Smith, candidate for the leadership of the United Conservative Party UCP, responded to Prime Minister Jason Kenney's claim that the proposed Alberta Sovereignty Act would make the province a "laughingstock" in Canada.
 

Kenney rejected the idea, which is a key element of Smith's campaign, calling it "madness," in response to a question on his weekly radio program yesterday, Saturday.

Kenney said: "The proposal is for Alberta to ignore and violate the constitution in a way unprecedented in Canadian history."

Adding, "by not enforcing the laws of the land, including federal laws, which include the criminal law, and that is madness."

It is worth mentioning that Smith, who is considered the front-runner in the party leadership race, pledged to introduce legislation allowing Alberta to ignore federal laws and court rulings and regulatory decisions that the provincial legislature opposes.

On Sunday, she described Kenney's remarks as "premature, uninformed, and disrespectful."

Smith said in a statement, "If I am elected to replace him as party leader and Premier, I will work closely and collaboratively with the entire governing party caucus to ensure the sovereignty law is drafted, passed, and implemented according to sound constitutional language and principles."

Perhaps the Premier and other "experts" should hold their opinions about this legislation until they can actually read it first."

Last week, Smith cited the federal carbon tax, the proposed reduction in fertilizer use by farmers, and the emissions cap in the energy sector as federal policies that would not be enforced by any provincial agency under Alberta’s sovereignty act.

Kenney said such a law "blatantly illegal" would not gain the approval of the Lieutenant Governor or survive a court challenge if passed in the legislature.

Adding, it will never become law, and Alberta will become a laughingstock, as the Lieutenant Governor does her job, which is to ensure respect for the law and constitution."
 

Kenney cited the analysis published by Howard Anglin, his former chief secretary, who pointed to the proposal as a "political and legal gimmick" that undermines investor confidence, saying: "We must talk about real and practical ways to fight unfair Ottawa policies, and fight for Alberta's power, and that's exactly what we are doing."
 

Smith, who has rejected repeated criticism of the proposed legislation, pointed out that the sovereignty law would give Albertans rights and freedoms similar to those granted to Quebec.

She said in a recent video viewed 49,000 times: "If they don’t invade our lands and don’t invade our jurisdiction, we will never need to protest that."

Adding, "We need a new relationship with Ottawa so they know we have been through it, we have drawn a hard line, and they will not be able to push us anymore."
 

The Premier refused to answer on Saturday when asked about support from the United Conservative Party caucus for Smith, who last week gained the support of two other ministers, or about the tone of the party leadership race. "I'm just not going to get into that, it's not my job. I won’t be a color commentator on the leadership election.

Kenney responded to the proposed sovereignty law, a growing conservative talking point, saying it would address policy issues.

Smith said Kenney should devote his time to uniting the United Conservative Party instead of interfering in the leadership election process.

For her part, Calgary Chamber of Commerce President Deborah Yedlin weighed in on the sovereignty law on Sunday, saying the proposed legislation would cause investment uncertainty, translating into potential Alberta investors putting their money elsewhere, which negatively impacts the province’s economy.

Adding, "It’s the last thing this province needs."

She said in a tweet on Twitter: "We need to attract investment, not scare it away."

In May, upon announcing his resignation, Kenney said he would remain Premier until a new leader is chosen.

On Saturday, the Premier told listeners he is open to staying in Calgary after the leadership is decided in October.

He said, "I intend to stay in (the legislature) for at least a while."

Explaining, "I definitely don’t want to trigger a by-election, but part of that will be up to the next leader."