New prime minister and premiers make moves toward common goals, but fractures still exist

Already feeling heat from western premiers, the new prime minister is meeting with provincial leaders in Ottawa ahead of an election that could be called Sunday

Premiers from around Canada gathered to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Ottawa on Friday, to discuss Chinese and U.S. tariffs and internal trade barriers.

Two premiers who did not attend the meeting in person were Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe and Alberta’s Danielle Smith.

Smith and Carney met on Thursday.

“I made it clear that Alberta will no longer tolerate an emissions cap on oil and gas,” Smith said.

Smith said Carney doesn’t support an oil and gas emission cap; however, at a press conference later that afternoon, he told reporters he does support a mechanism to cut emissions.

“The prime minister’s word sounded kind of nice yesterday, until I looked at my phone right after the meeting with him and found out that his new environment minister had just told media on the other side of the country that the federal Liberals would be keeping the emissions cap in place,” Smith said.

The prime minister says he is working to remove barriers to free trade between the provinces and territories by Canada Day.

Speaking with reporters Friday following the meeting, Carney said he and the premiers agreed to work on a plan to develop a national trade and energy corridor.

“Together, we can give ourselves more than other foreign governments can take away,” Carney said.

Ahead of the meeting, several of Canada’s premiers called for the elimination of interprovincial trade barriers.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said provincial and territorial leaders agreed on the need to cut red tape and “streamline approvals to get big things built faster,” though not all are ready to quash interprovincial trade barriers.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ford said his province and Nova Scotia are moving ahead with legislation to remove interprovincial trade barriers.

While Carney is trying to unite the premiers, fractures still seem to exist in their approach.

Smith suggested there is an unprecedented unity crisis if Ottawa doesn’t address Alberta’s demands.

“Who is ginning up the national unity crisis? Is it Mark Carney, who has been prime minister for, I don’t know, a week? Or is it Danielle Smith?” said Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt.

Instead of attending the gathering in Ottawa, Moe spoke at the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors.

Moe called for more support for the energy sector, saying there is some hope with Carney.

“The window is going to open, to some degree, for the oil and gas industry, the mining industry, industries that have really been in many ways harmed over the last eight to 10 years by the Trudeau Liberal government,” Moe said.

Yet he did cast doubt on Carney and the federal Liberals ahead of an election.

“The fact that they’re changing out their leader doesn’t make me in any way hopeful that they’re actually changing their direction, Moe said.

An election is expected to be called Sunday, with Canadians heading to the polls as soon as April 28.