Bell: C'mon Carney! Danielle Smith impatient with PM over pipeline talks |
It’s time for Prime Minister Mark Carney to get his act in gear. To fish or cut bait.
To stop talking and start doing.
Carney, you want to make Canada a world energy superpower, you want to open up new markets for Canadian products, stop the stalling, ditch the foot-dragging and help make it happen.
Surely you are more than just some slogan you can slap on a podium when you make another one of your many announcements.
The smart money is saying the Alberta side negotiating with Carney is growing restless. They are getting impatient.
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They are not at all impressed Carney and his crews are taking so long in moving this memorandum of understanding forward.
And what better time than now for Carney to make a move.
The crazy events in the world point like a lightning bolt to the importance of developing Alberta’s oilpatch to the fullest.
These talks between Smith and Carney are not about Carney or his Liberal government or anybody else doing Alberta a favour.
Alberta is the cash cow of Confederation. Alberta is the biggest contributor to this country.
Prime Minister Carney, you want me and other Albertans to give you some truth.
The Alberta government is willing to help bail Canada out of its own stupidity, the stupidity of politicians duly elected by Canadians outside Alberta who followed their own pie-in-the-sky policies and gravely damaged the economy and the well-being of this country.
But Carney’s crew debates and dithers.
Smith soldiers on. We are told she will not sign off on something that is not in the interests of Alberta. These are negotiations but she will not sell the farm, bend to the breaking point, just to get Carney to agree.
Smith and Carney were supposed to have something to show Albertans on April 1.
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There were talks between the two sides on industrial carbon taxes, among other items.
That day came and went. So did the next day and the next day and the next day and so on.
Premier Smith, ever the optimist, ever the person who sees the glass half-full and not half-empty, never the person to slam the prime minister or throw him under the bus, was looking forward to some April 1 rollout.
Smith told us Carney had the same sense of urgency she did. They were just trying to iron out a few details.
In an answer to a question by this scribbler, Smith insisted Carney was not dragging his feet.
The premier admitted there were differences but added she impressed upon Carney how hitting the April 1 deadline was important.
On Thursday, speaking to Calgary Rotarians, Smith says she is as optimistic as she’s ever been but says little about the negotiations.
Smith does add she is encouraging Carney to get to the finish line quickly.
The Alberta premier says she’ll be ready with a pipeline pitch in June.
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Again, Smith adds she knows many Albertans are sceptical “with good reason.”
“We’ve got to show people, not just tell them,” says Smith.
“It takes two to tangle.” Smith quickly corrects herself. “Two to tango.
“Probably a little bit of both.”
Now the smart money wager is making a lot of sense in this political game of connect the dots.
Then there is the reality outside the ballroom of a fancy-pants hotel.
A whole lot of Albertans do not trust Carney.
Unlike certain Calgary office tower folks who now consider themselves Carney Conservatives because he looks like them and talks like them and they think he’s so smart, many Albertans have not been charmed by Carney.
They have not been politically seduced. They are not buying what he’s selling.
John Barlow is a southern Alberta Conservative MP who has no problem speaking truth to power.
“I haven’t spoken to a single person in Alberta who believes this memorandum of understanding is worth the paper it’s written on.”
Then there is the latest nose count from Pollara Strategic Insights.
By their numbers, separatist sentiment in Alberta is at a five-year high.
A big number jumps out. 42 per cent.
27 per cent are decided on wanting Alberta to split from Canada.
Another 15 per cent are considering a Yes vote for Alberta independence to send a message to Ottawa.
Put 27 and 15 together and you get 42.
That’s 42 per cent who want to vote for independence or are seriously considering a vote for independence and the Alberta independence crowd are still gathering signatures to get a vote on independence.
For the record, more than half of Smith’s UCP voters would vote Yes to an exit from Canada.
On Thursday, Carney was in Quebec talking about wanting to build Canada stronger, giving the folks at the port of Montreal a little love.