Alberta Premier Danielle Smith marked the “Alberta Day” moment in time with a couple of significantly different official messages and an apocalyptic prophecy.
Yesterday morning at 10 o’clock, an email from the government showed up in journalists’ email accounts bearing Ms. Smith’s official Alberta Day message. This was obviously considered important enough to be reproduced in Canada’s other official language, an inclusive touch one wouldn’t normally have expected from a United Conservative Party Government.
For the most part, it was the usual happy holiday pish-posh, except, of course, that Alberta Day is not a holiday. We’re celebrating our rich cultural heritage. We look confidently to the future. Yadda-yadda. The last line even echoed the national anthem, sort of: “Happy Alberta Day and may our province forever remain strong and free.”
The third paragraph, which turns out to be the most significant, began: “We recognize the Indigenous Peoples whose enduring connection to and stewardship of this land continues to shape Alberta.” This was positive, and even a hopeful sign for those of us who believe that we are all Treaty people here in Alberta, and ought to act accordingly.
Fifty-five minutes later, an “UPDATED” email appeared. The first sentence of the third paragraph now read: “Generations of Albertans from many backgrounds have helped build our province through hard work, innovation and a shared belief in freedom.”
The reference to Indigenous people had been excised.
The message adopted a more strident tone, continuing: “From the energy that powers our nation, to the food that feeds the world, to the entrepreneurs, workers and innovators who drive our economy forward, Alberta has always punched above its weight. We are a province of builders, dreamers and doers who refuse to settle for anything less than the best.”
“Let us continue building a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada, confident in who we are, proud of what we contribute and ready to seize the opportunities ahead,” this version concluded.
Naturally, it didn’t take long for these changes to be noticed by the sharp-eyed denizens of social media, and questions were immediately raised about what the heck was going on. To his credit, CHED Radio host Courtney Theriault asked Ms. Smith’s spokesperson, Sam Blackett what had just happened.
“Earlier today, an updated version of the Premier’s statement on Alberta Day was issued in error,” Mr. Blackett responded. “The initial statement that was issued at 10:00am stands and will be reflected on Alberta.ca/news. We apologize for this error and any confusion that it may have caused.”
So what exactly was the error here? That an embarrassing fight between factions in the UCP strategic brain trust had been revealed? Simple confusion in which a first draft became a final draft? Someone forgot who was supposed to be cancelled in the new Alberta? Speculation is rife, naturally, although chances are good we’ll never know for sure.
Meanwhile, Premier Smith also served up some oil patch eschatology, warning that the End Times are nigh if Canada pushes back against Trump’s tariffs. Postmedia political columnist Rick Bell was the semi-official conduit for what arguably was Ms. Smith’s real Alberta Day message yesterday.
Taking on the role of U.S. President Donald Trump’s unofficial Alberta spokesperson, Ms. Smith – who was “on fire,” according to Mr. Bell – Canada has no options but to surrender.
This is an opinion that most Canadians don’t appear share, if you go by yesterday’s federal by-election results. But put an export tax on Canadian oil, she told her amanuensis, and the U.S. response would “wipe out the Ontario and Quebec economies.”
“I don’t want that to happen,” Mr. Bell quoted her saying. “I’m trying to keep Canada from doing something that dumb because I know what the effects would be.”
Ergo, she continued, Alberta will be keeping Kentucky bourbon and watery American beer on the liquor store shelves, thank you very much.
Mr. Bell’s account concluded with the premier warning that the Americans would develop the Venezuelan tar patch out of spite and put Alberta out of business, plus blaming all our troubles on Justin Trudeau.
As for her apocalyptic claims about Mr. Trump’s Venezuela oil deal, which the U.S. president announced last Friday, here’s what Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman had to say on Alberta Day: “Even if the deal holds, oil experts are extremely doubtful that Venezuela can significantly increase its oil production soon, if ever. It would take years to rebuild the oil infrastructure even if corporations are willing to sink in the necessary billions of dollars. There are also issues with the quality of Venezuelan oil.”
