Alberta Premier Danielle Smith comes under fire for comments about chemtrails
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's office says her recent comments about chemtrails don't mean she believes the United States government is spraying them in the province.
“The premier was simply sharing what she has heard from some folks over the summer on this issue,” Smith’s spokesperson Savannah Johannsen said Tuesday in a statement.
"She was not saying that she believed the U.S. government was using chemtrails in Alberta."
Johannsen added: “The premier has heard concerns from many Albertans about this topic. In response, the provincial government looked into the issue and found no evidence of chemtrails occurring in Alberta.”
Smith faced criticism after she spoke about chemtrails this past weekend at a United Conservative Party town hall in Edmonton.
During the town hall, in response to an audience member’s concerns about chemtrail spraying over Edmonton, Smith said, “The best I have been able to do is talk to the woman who is responsible for controlling the airspace, and she says no one is allowed to go up and spray anything in the air.”
When the crowd hooted and booed, Smith said, “That’s what she’s told me.”
Smith added, “The other person told me that if anyone is doing it, it’s the U.S. Department of Defense.”
Smith said if the U.S. is hitting Alberta with chemtrails, her hands are somewhat tied as a regional leader in Canada.
“I have some limitations in what I can do in my job,” she said. “I don’t know that I would have much power if that is the case, if the U.S. Department of Defense is spraying us.”
She said she does what she can to investigate chemtrail allegations – checking with airports, the private sector and within her government — but so far no evidence has turned up that it is occurring.
“I’m kind of dead-ended here,” she told the town hall. “If you have some special lead that you want to give me afterwards, please let me know and I’ll track it down.”
The U.S. Department of Defense, in a request for comment, referred the issue to the North American Aerospace Defence Command, or Norad.
A spokesman for Norad, in an email, said, "Norad and U.S. Northern Command are not conducting any flight activities in Canada that involve the spraying of chemicals.”
White streaks of condensation can be visible in the sky after planes fly by. Some people have claimed the streaks are chemicals purposely sprayed by unknown entities for nefarious purposes.
Experts, including health law professor Timothy Caulfield, have dismissed it as a baseless conspiracy theory.
Caulfield, with the University of Alberta, said Smith is doing the public a disservice.
"In this age of misinformation, in this age where conspiracy theories are having a detrimental impact on democracies around the world, it's just horrifying to see a political leader not simply and explicitly correct the conspiracy theory," Caulfield said in an interview.
"It's maddening."
Caulfield said that over the years, many different forms of the chemtrails conspiracy theory have popped up, but each form usually points to powerful groups of people or organizations trying control the population.
He said Smith had an opportunity to quell real fears some may have about chemtrails but instead added fuel to the fire.
"That gives permission, gives room for, legitimizes (and) normalizes, something that is a ridiculous conspiracy theory," Caulfield said.
In Ottawa, Edmonton Liberal MP and cabinet minister Randy Boissonnault said Smith needs to focus.
"I think it’s becoming increasingly obvious that Premier Smith is using her office to peddle conspiracy theories," he said. "We’ve got a lot of issues in Alberta right now in a growing province.
"We simply need the premier to do her job, and talking about chemtrails simply doesn’t do the work."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I was called;' Murray Sinclair's life and legacy honoured at emotional memorial
Applause erupted over and over at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg Sunday as the son of Murray Sinclair, a former judge, senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into residential schools, spoke about his father.
Abuse, harassment and suicide: Report finds anti-Black racism exists at highest levels of federal government
A government-funded report released to CTV News highlights 'systemic racism' against dozens of Black executives within the federal public service, including allegations of abuse, violence and harassment that, in some instances, led to suicide.
25 monkeys recovered after dozens escape in South Carolina. Others 'jumping back and forth' near research facility
Tenty-five of the 43 monkeys bred for medical research that escaped a compound in South Carolina have been recovered, officials said Sunday.
Trump on Day 1: Begin deportation push, pardon Jan. 6 rioters and make his criminal cases vanish
Donald Trump has said he wouldn’t be a dictator — 'except for Day 1.' According to his own statements, he's got a lot to do on that first day in the White House.
Liberals to face third test in federal byelection in British Columbia next month
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced voters in Cloverdale—Langley City will pick their next member of Parliament on Dec. 16.
King Charles III and Kate attend remembrance events as both slowly return to duty
King Charles III led the nation Sunday in a two-minute silence in remembrance of fallen service personnel in central London as the Princess of Wales looked on, a further sign the royal family is slowly returning to normal at the end of a year in which two of the most popular royals were sidelined by cancer.
Cornwall, Ont. prepares for potential influx of asylum seekers following U.S. election
As the possibility of mass deportations looms following Donald Trump's re-election on Tuesday, border towns like the City of Cornwall are preparing for a potential influx of asylum seekers.
‘Feeling of dread’ spreads across U.S. federal workforce as second Trump term looms
Much of the U.S. federal workforce is on edge and bracing itself for the likelihood its ranks will be purged when President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Sarnia, Ont. police make 'high-risk' arrests, charge 3 with kidnapping
On Friday, the Sarnia Police Service (SPS) received a report of an alleged abduction in the area of Kathleen Avenue and Walnut Avenue.