As the question of separation subsides in Alberta, new polling indicates residents want to see the province refocus its energy on every day issues. Premier Danielle Smith made her first remarks since the results started coming in, expressing her happiness with the vote while emphasizing the province will continue to stand up for Alberta’s interests in Confederation. “Make no mistake, our government will continue to boldly assert our province’s autonomy by exercising the provincial rights guaranteed to us under Canada’s constitution,” Smith said in a paid televised address. “We will use every legal and political tool at our disposal to protect and advance the interests of Albertans. And when Ottawa interferes with those rights, we will be unrelenting in our response.” While experts say the premier’s comments on Tuesday could be an attempt to bookend the conversation on separation, it still might not be that easy as new polling suggests Smith should reassess her priorities to better serve her province. In the lead-up to the referendum, Abacus Data asked 1,021 Albertans what they wanted to see the provincial government prioritize next year. An overwhelming majority said they were concerned about the state of affordability and public services in the province, with 43 per cent of respondents saying they wanted to see affordability prioritized and 38 per cent said health care. That compares to just 10 per cent who said they wanted Alberta to prioritize getting a better deal with Canada and six per cent who wanted to move towards independence. The survey added 77 per cent of Albertans said the government was doing a poor job addressing the cost of living and another 64 per cent said the government is doing a poor job addressing health care. Pollster Robson Fletcher says those results serve as a “double whammy” to the government as it looks to turn the page on the referendum and move on to other issues. “You have a situation where some of the top issues that Albertans identify as important to them... are also some of the weakest issues for the government in terms of how they’re performing right now.” “It’s a bit of a deep hole for the premier to try to climb out of now that she is trying to turn the page from this referendum to these other issues,” Fletcher said. Smith is expected to take questions from reporters in Calgary on Wednesday morning. — with files from Timm Bruch
