'The kind of leader I am': Smith accepts sovereignty act amendments from UCP caucus
Alberta's premier says she is OK with her caucus making changes to the sovereignty act bill she introduced last week, while the NDP argued it would be better to scrap it altogether.
On Monday, United Conservative Party MLAs voted to propose amendments to Bill 1, the Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act.
The changes would see unilateral powers granted to Danielle Smith and her cabinet removed from the bill and would limit the scope of when it can be used.
"She's lost people's trust with this bumbling and stumbling," NDP Leader Rachel Notley alleged during question period.
"My caucus identified some issues that they wanted to address. They wanted to seek some clarity," Smith said during her response. "And that's the kind of leader I am, I want to make sure we get this bill right and I'm grateful that my caucus is going to propose amendments."
Notley called the legislation "job killing" and she criticized Smith for how the act was written and introduced to Albertans.
For days after Smith introduced the bill, she and her cabinet members rejected accusations, including from legal and constitutional scholars, that the bill granted unchecked power.
"First she said we were wrong. Then she claimed we didn't read the bill. Then she called us fear mongers. Now, she admits there are problems while her caucus demands amendments," Notley said.
"She either got caught in her attempt to seize power and is now desperately scrambling to cover that up or she literally didn't know what was in her bill."
Several of Smith's cabinet ministers were also critical of the sovereignty act idea when they ran against her for leadership of the UCP.
Brian Jean, Rajan Sawhney and Travis Toews were all part of a group that called the proposal "unconstitutional" and a "fairy tale" in September. Last week, all said their concerns had been addressed and they supported the act.
Political scientist Duane Bratt said the whole situation is embarrassing for the new premier.
"It's surprising, for something that was her signature policy, that more care wasn't put into drafting it," he told CTV News Edmonton.
After the amendments were revealed Monday, Bratt tweeted his reaction and some pointed questions for the government.
"There are still significant problems, but these amendments address two of the most egregious clauses. Two major climb downs in a span of the week. On the premier's signature bill. Deliberate? Incompetent? Both?" he asked.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.