Alberta Premier Danielle Smith insists the upcoming referendum in her province — with a question on the possibility of separation from Canada — will not impede her ability to pitch investors at the prime minister’s upcoming summit. Mark Carney’s two-day inaugural Canada Investment Summit is being pitched as a way to court $1 trillion in investment over the next five years for major projects, and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has invited dozens of investment banks, state-owned funds, and large pension funds to the event to do so. The PMO says it will showcase more than 160 investment opportunities at the summit, with some of the priciest projects on the list including the expansion of the Port of Churchill, an offshore wind project in Nova Scotia, and the proposed West Coast oil pipeline, which would carry oil from Alberta to the West Coast. Alberta, meanwhile, is set for a referendum in October, to ask Albertans whether they want to remain a part of Canada, or whether the province should “commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada.” In an interview airing Sunday on CTV Question Period, host Vassy Kapelos asked Smith whether allowing a referendum on separation to go ahead has handicapped her ability to pitch Alberta as a stable environment to invest. “I don’t think so,” Smith said, pointing to Meta’s recent announcement that it plans to build a $13-billion data centre in Alberta as an example of a recent investment in the province. “I think there’s lots of things that investors look for,” Smith also said. “Investors look for low corporate income taxes. They look for an environment where people and workers are going to want to be. They look for a well-educated workforce. We have all of those things.” The premier added: “That value proposition doesn’t change.” Kapelos then pressed Smith on whether she bears any culpability if the vote in October does not go the federalist way, and whether she could draw in even more investment at the summit this week if the referendum were not on the horizon. In response, Smith said previous “terrible federal policies” drove away investment, which contributed to Albertans’ dissatisfaction with Canada. “I think they were worried that we were going to see a repeat of that for the next decade,” Smith said. “Fortunately, I’ve been able to work with the prime minister to undo most of those terrible laws and to demonstrate that the federal and provincial government can work together.” Smith herself has repeatedly said she is on the side of Alberta staying within Canada. When pressed again on whether she believes she can sell Alberta as a stable place to invest, Smith said, in reference to the referendum: “I think one of the things that people like about Canada is that we have a democracy, and there’s nothing more democratic than direct democracy.” Smith has been pushing for a new West Coast oil pipeline to help bring crude oil to Asian markets. Alberta and the federal government, which would act as majority stakeholders, are currently partnering with Trans Mountain Corporation and Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline Corporation to develop the project with construction targeted to begin by 2027. You can watch Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s full interview on CTV Question Period Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. With files from CTV News’ Judy Trinh and Stephanie Ha
