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A deal between Premier Smith and Prime Minister Carney. Very soon. Book your seat
By Rick Bell
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Prime Minister Mark Carney (right) meets with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in his office in Ottawa on Friday, May 8, 2026
A tip. Don’t head out of town too early this May long weekend, you might miss something.
On Monday, Premier Danielle Smith sounds like she is in a real Team Canada mood this day.
Smith sounds like she is in good spirits, real good spirits, the feeling you get when you believe good news is right around the corner.
And in fact it sure sounds like good news is right around the corner, as in the premier can see the finish line on the next step to get an Alberta pipeline to the west coast.
A deal on the industrial carbon tax.
In fact, Smith couldn’t tell us any clearer what’s what if she had tapped out the message on one of those old telegraph machines.
This is basic connecting the dots. It is a story hidden in plain sight.
“I’ve worked very hard with the prime minister on landing an MOU,” says Smith.
MOU as in memorandum of understanding, as in a deal.
“I hope we’re going to be able to announce very soon,” says the premier.
“We’re going to work together on building a pipeline to the west coast.”
A newshound asks what makes the premier so confident it’s go time.
“When we met we both landed on the need for shared urgency. I think the prime minister wants to be able to quell any uncertainty about how committed his government is to these major projects,” says Smith.
Smith says she pointed out to Carney how the oilpatch was expressing some frustration over there being a carbon tax at all when there isn’t a carbon tax in other jurisdictions.
They were losing oilpatch support.
Smith also mentioned how U.S. President Donald Trump issued numerous permits for pipelines to be built.
“Why can the Americans move faster to get Alberta oil to market than the Canadian government? That’s a legitimate question to be asked.”
Then there’s the number crunching showing fewer than four in 10 Albertans actually think a pipeline to the west coast will be built.
The bottom line? Smith pulls back the curtain.
“Just a few more details and getting the wording going back and forth and as soon as we have landed on a document we can sign we’ll let you know.”
Check your emails.
Smith sounds even more optimistic than her usual glass-half-full self.
Here’s the premier on Alberta independence.
“It’s not time for a divorce,” says Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
“As I told the prime minister, it’s more like couples counselling.”
So we have Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney. So we have Alberta and the government of Canada.
There are those out there who will insist counselling will not work. Many of them. They will say the relationship between Alberta and Ottawa is broken and cannot be fixed.
Smith is not on that side.
She thinks the relationship with Ottawa can get back on track after a 10-year trainwreck when the only light at the end of the tunnel was a train headed straight for a collision with Alberta.
Smith says Carney told her he wants a “win-win” with Alberta and the premier is very impressed with the prime minister’s attitude.
A newshound asks Smith what she thinks of the push of former premier Jason Kenney and Calgary Liberal MP Corey Hogan to keep Alberta in Canada.
“I’m with them,” says Smith.
“I’ve been doing that from the beginning.”
Smith says it is she who warned the past Liberal government how their actions created distrust and Albertans lost hope in the country.
The Alberta premier adds she is not saying Albertans have to accept “the Liberal government vision of how the country is supposed to work. This is just how Canada works and we have to suck it up. That’s not an appropriate answer.”
Once again Smith feels dealing with Alberta’s issues and the grievances of Albertans will “build confidence for those who, like me, want to remain in Canada.”
Have to say it. The premier sounds like a person who is just dying to come out and tell us the full meal deal. Smith and her people remain tight-lipped.
“I think the vast majority of Albertans, regardless of how they are currently thinking about voting in a referendum, want to see us secure a new and much more positive relationship with Ottawa that sees our province remain a part of the country.”
There you have it.
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