Federal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that nothing is off the table in Ottawa when it comes to responding to the bill presented yesterday afternoon by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, which grants her government wide powers.

Trudeau confirmed that he is not seeking a quarrel with Alberta, adding that the new bill caused surprise even within Alberta itself.

Trudeau was speaking from the Parliament building in Ottawa on his way to a meeting of his Liberal party's parliamentary caucus.

The bill "Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada" grants the Alberta government powers to amend provincial laws without needing to pass through the legislature in Edmonton and to ignore federal laws that it considers contrary to the province’s interests.

This is the first bill presented by the new United Conservative Party (UCP) government led by Smith. It also allows the Alberta government to order all entities in the province not to use their resources to enforce federal rules deemed "harmful to Alberta’s interests."
 

The federal prime minister added that he will closely review the new bill in Alberta, but pointed out that many Alberta residents are concerned about the Alberta government’s choice to bypass the legislative authority, thus "diminishing the value of the work of parliamentarians."

Trudeau confirmed that he will watch the developments of this issue and their repercussions "carefully," but preferred not to say yet whether his government will challenge the law in court.

Danielle Smith had promised to present this controversial bill if she won the race to lead the United Conservative Party following Jason Kenney’s resignation from party leadership, and therefore from the premiership of Alberta (he resigned yesterday from his parliamentary seat).

When presenting the bill yesterday, Smith described it as a means to protect Alberta residents from "overreach" by the federal government in Ottawa "which costs Alberta’s economy billions of dollars annually."