A newly announced Saskatchewan first act and the proposed Alberta sovereignty act aim to profoundly reshape this country by finally taking a stand against the federal government’s propensity to control areas of provincial jurisdiction.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Diane Francis: Don't pick on the Prairies Back to video

On Nov. 1, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe tabled Bill 88, which will assert provincial control over energy development, exploration and the production of electricity within the province. The legislation also seeks to unilaterally amend the Saskatchewan Act and the Canadian Constitution, to say that natural resource development is “critical to the future well-being and prosperity of Saskatchewan and its people.”

“This historic legislation will help protect our economic growth and prosperity from intrusive federal policies that encroach upon our legislative sovereignty,” Justice Minister and Attorney General Bronwyn Eyre said. “It is time to draw the line and assert our constitutional rights.”

Alberta’s new premier, Danielle Smith, has also stated that she wants for Alberta what Quebec has had for years: provincial institutions that collect taxes, administer its own pension plan and police force, and more control over immigration. She also intends to challenge Ottawa when it imposes unnecessary and damaging controls, taxes and needless regulations in areas of provincial responsibility.

“We’re going to take our place as a senior partner in Confederation,” Smith said last month. “We will not have our resources landlocked or our energy phased out of existence by a virtue-signalling prime minister. Albertans, not Ottawa, will chart our own destiny on our own terms and we will work with our fellow Canadians to build the most free and prosperous country on earth.”

The two provinces are energy powerhouses, with combined economies that are similar in size to Quebec’s. Thanks to these two Prairie provinces, Canada is the world’s fourth-largest producer of oil. Alberta produces 80 per cent of the country’s oil, with Saskatchewan contributing close to 10 per cent. Combined, the two provinces also produce two-thirds of the country’s natural gas. Furthermore, Saskatchewan produces 10 per cent of the world’s uranium.

Saskatchewan’s proposal to unilaterally change the Constitution is arguably allowed under Section 45 of the Constitution Act, 1982, which gives provinces the right to “exclusively make laws amending the constitution of the province.” This is similar to what Quebec recently did with its restrictive new language law.

“The prime minister announced that Quebec absolutely has the right to do this. Saskatchewan has done exactly what Quebec has. If he opposes this plan, he must go back on his earlier statement and oppose Quebec’s amendment or make it blatantly obvious to the entire country that there’s one rule for Quebec and another for the West,” wrote Josh Andrus, executive director of Project Confederation. “Saskatchewan has effectively done exactly what Quebec has done.”

Valid grievances underpin these new initiatives. Alberta and Saskatchewan have been politically ignored and abused by the Trudeau government, which has imposed a myriad of restrictions, bureaucracy and new taxes on the resource sector, while funding environmental organizations that have tried to undercut the economies of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

These moves to counteract the federal government’s excesses are long overdue. They are about asserting the provinces’ constitutional rights to develop their natural resources without nuisances and arbitrary impediments imposed by Ottawa. They are revolutionary, not evolutionary, and will be tested in the courts. They may even lead to a constitutional crisis. But if this is what it takes to rebalance Confederation, then so be it.

While disruptive, I speak for many Canadians who cheer on these efforts because Canada’s Liberal government has driven away foreign investment and attacked the resource sector, which is vital to the Canadian economy. This has cost all Canadians jobs, exports and opportunities, and cannot be allowed to continue.

Financial Post