Alberta Premier Danielle Smith marks first anniversary

Government of Alberta

Published

2 years ago

12 minute read

Premier Danielle Smith released the following statement on the one-year anniversary of being sworn in as Premier:

“It is a tremendous honour to serve Albertans as their Premier. Alberta is truly one of the best places in the world to live, work and raise a family. Over the last 118 years, we have written an incredible story together. And I am proud that in the last year, I have had the opportunity to work with an incredible team to help write this latest chapter.

“When I was sworn into office on Oct. 11, 2022, I promised that we would not have our voices silenced or censored by Ottawa, we would address the inflation and affordability crisis driven by the fiscally destructive policies of the federal government, we would get our own fiscal house in order and balance the budget to enable us to afford to be compassionate, and we would address concerns in our public health system.

“I am proud to say that over the past 12 months, we have made significant progress for Albertans in every one of those areas.

“In the fall 2022 legislative session, we passed the Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act to stand up for Alberta, Albertans and our constitutional jurisdiction. In the spring 2023 legislative session, we introduced and passed the Alberta Firearms Act to continue to strengthen Alberta’s position within Confederation. Continuing in 2023, we also released a strategy to reform the broken equalization formula, pushed the federal government on bail reform, resulting in the introduction of federal Bill C-48, and fought back against the federal government’s so-called Just Transition.

“With inflation at its worst in decades and life getting more expensive for Albertans, we provided a suite of inflation-relief measures to help families pay their bills. Because we recognized the extra difficulty on families and seniors, we provided $100 monthly payments for up to six months for every eligible child and senior, and provided an additional $10 million to food banks throughout the province to help those who were struggling most. We expanded the low-income transit pass and indexed AISH, income supports and the Alberta Seniors Benefit. We extended the pause on the fuel tax to save Albertans more money every time they fill up their tanks, while the federal government continues making life more expensive for families through their ever-growing carbon tax.

“We extended supports for Ukrainian evacuees fleeing Russia’s war in Ukraine and offered disaster support for Türkiye and Syria following the terrible earthquake. We increased pay for staff who work with persons with developmental disabilities, who had not seen increases since 2014, and we improved tax credits and grants to support families pursuing adoption. We pushed the federal government to further improve the daycare deal to better meet Alberta families’ unique needs. We opened the Bridge Healing convalescence facility for Edmonton’s vulnerable citizens to ensure they have access to the health care and community supports they need to be well.

“We extended interest-free student loans to 12 months, offering students more certainty in their personal budgeting, and we capped tuition increases so Alberta’s post-secondary institutions can retain their competitive advantage when attracting students. We paused rate increases on auto insurance to protect Albertans from premium increases when they can least afford it, and we ended the Graduated Driver Licensing program, saving drivers on their licensing costs.

“For only the fourth time in 15 years, we presented Albertans with a balanced budget in February. That budget also provided Albertans with a fiscal framework to guide future government spending, debt repayment and savings so that Alberta can continue moving forward in prosperity. We paid off $13 billion in debt, significantly reducing our annual interest payments – ¬funds that are better spent on providing the services and infrastructure Albertans need. We also added $2 billion to the Heritage Savings Trust Fund, which will increase our investment income each year and provide more fiscal stability for the province in the long term.

“Our improved finances enable us to provide additional funding for schools, hospitals and roads so Albertans have access to the infrastructure they need for a growing population. We have also provided funding to close learning gaps experienced by younger students and have expanded seats at universities in high-demand programs. To improve outdoor and recreation opportunities for Albertans and visitors, we allocated $200 million to improve the province’s campgrounds and trails.

“We are continuing to build our economy by creating an Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit, building strong partnerships with other western provinces to build economic corridors that connect markets across the Prairies, expanding the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program to invite nearly 10,000 newcomers, and by creating pathways for more skills training opportunities for the most in-demand jobs in our province. At the same time, we are working with Alberta municipalities by changing the municipal funding model to provide them with funding stability and by making the payment of municipal taxes a condition of wellsite transfers.

“We are also growing relationships with Indigenous and Métis communities, which includes the signing of a new Metis Settlement Agreement. We continue to recognize the important role of Indigenous Peoples in Alberta in our economy and remain committed to ensuring they are partners in prosperity. To accomplish this, we doubled the loan capacity of the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation from $1 billion to $2 billion.

“We indexed personal income taxes, so Albertans keep more of their hard-earned money to spend on the things that are important to them. We are working to increase access to halal financing, so members of Alberta’s Muslim community are better able to pursue their dreams of home ownership.

“Health care remains a top priority for Albertans and we have begun the hard work of repairing and improving our health care system. We brought in more ambulances during peak hours in Calgary and Edmonton and we fast-tracked patient transfers at hospitals to ensure our highly skilled paramedics can respond to more emergencies and do so more quickly. We introduced alternative transportation for non-urgent hospital transfers and have reduced the number of code reds that occur in the province. We have fixed problems with emergency department patient flow, helping us reduce overall hospital wait times, and we have increased our surgical capacity and are projected to eliminate the surgical backlog in the new year.

“I am proud to have addressed the concerns of many Albertans in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. We put an end to provincial mask mandates, and we replaced the chief medical officer of health and the AHS board. We established a public health emergencies governance review panel to examine the pandemic response and to recommend changes to improve how we handle potential future public health emergencies.

“We have stopped at nothing in our pursuit to improve health care services and supports for Albertans. We worked with our provincial colleagues to fight for increased federal health transfers, and I am proud to have signed a $24-billion health deal with the federal government. When our province and country faced supply issues with children’s pain and fever medication, we stepped up to ensure that parents would have access to these medications. And we honoured Alberta firefighters and the health risks they face by providing them with presumptive cancer coverage.

“In addition, we’ve prioritized recovery for those suffering from the deadly disease of addiction and from mental health challenges. We are progressing on the Alberta model and have opened recovery communities in both Red Deer and Lethbridge, with nine more on the way including four on First Nations land. We are investing in training more mental health professionals and are expanding mental health supports for children and youth in communities and schools, making sure no child is left behind.

“We recognize that public safety is another top concern for Albertans. We share that concern and are taking action to ensure all Albertans feel safe in their communities. This includes establishing public safety task forces in Edmonton and Calgary, committing to provide funding to hire 100 more police officers, increasing the scope and number of sheriffs, and increasing the number of prosecutors available in Alberta’s courts.

“Furthermore, we are introducing additional accountability measures in partnership with police services. We have passed an updated Police Act that will establish a new, independent body for investigating complaints against police, and have taken steps to mandate body-worn cameras for police. At the same time, we are working with municipalities and Indigenous communities that want to establish their own, local police services.

“In addition to this work, we have released a provincial emissions reduction strategy, created a regulatory framework for brine-hosted minerals, established an energy future panel, launched expressions of interest for hydrogen fuelling stations, introduced a new science and French curriculum, and strengthened free speech on campuses.

“As a united government, we accomplished all this while managing the pressures of an unprecedented wildfire season that included support for more than 38,000 evacuees from Alberta communities and more than 21,000 evacuees from the Northwest Territories.

“I could not have accomplished all of this without my dedicated colleagues in cabinet and caucus. I look forward to accomplishing even more, with the ongoing confidence of Albertans, as we begin our second chapter together, ensuring Alberta remains the best place to live, work and raise a family.”

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Published on April 29, 2025

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News release from the Alberta Prosperity Project

Carney’s In. Now what?

You’ve been paying attention. You understand this is really bad. Worse than that, it’s dangerous. The country has somehow chosen several more years of a decade-long Trudeau Travesty…on steroids. Because this new Prime Minister has a three digit IQ, deep and questionable connections and a momentum to accelerate the further dis-integration of a nation we all once proudly belonged to. It’s untrue to say the country is dying. But it’s also not a stretch to say it’s on life support.

The era of Carney Carnage is here. While every province will experience it, there’s no secret he’s placed an extra big bulls-eye on Alberta.

It’s not personal, it’s financial.

His plan includes continuing to limit three of Alberta’s most prosperous sectors: energy, agriculture and, by extension, innovation. To acknowledge this requires we abandon our sense of romanticized national nostalgia. Nostalgia is a trap that prevents us from assessing the reality we exist in.

For instance, GDP is considered the financial heartbeat of a country. Over the past decade of Liberal Leadership, the national GDP has been an abysmal 1.1%. By relatable comparison, Mexico was 4%, the UK was 6%, Australia had 8% growth and the US was a whopping 19%.

That’s great information for an economist, but what does it mean to your pay cheque?

The everyday impact on the average Albertan —say, a teacher or mechanic— of 10 long years of 1% GDP means rent’s up at least 25%, a trip to the grocery store always stings, and driving an older car is the norm because an upgrade is out of reach. Does this sound like your reality?

We aren’t starving, but we’re not thriving, either.

Does this make sense for 4.5 million people living with the third most abundant energy deposits in the world? There’s an absurdity to the situation Albertans find themselves in. It’s akin to being chronically dehydrated while having a fresh water spring in the backyard.

The life you’ve invested for, the future you believed was ahead, isn’t happening.

If Alberta stays on this path.

So what can you, as an Albertan, do about it?

This Fall, we’ll be provided an opportunity. A life raft in the form of a referendum. It requires curiosity, imagination and courage to step into it, but the option will be there — a once in a lifetime shot at prosperity for you and your family: Alberta Sovereignty.

A successful bid means Albertans can finally paddle out of the perilous economic current that’s battered us for ten long years.

Alberta has the resources, talent and spirit of collaboration to create a prosperous future for our families and communities.
If you want your vote to finally mean something, if you feel you deserve more from your pay-cheque, grocery store visits and need greater control over your family’s future, register your intent to sign YES to sovereignty now.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Click here to see all upcoming APP events.

WHAT CAN ALBERTANS DO?

Register Your Intent To Vote “YES”

Alberta

New Alberta Election Act bans electronic vote counting machines, lowers threshold for recalls and petitions

Published on April 29, 2025

Government of Alberta

Alberta’s government is introducing changes to protect democracy, deliver fair and open elections and increase confidence in every vote cast.

Voting gives Albertans a voice in shaping the future of our province. Direct democracy processes like referendums, recall and citizen initiative petitions provide further opportunities for Albertans to be heard and express their views. The proposed Election Statutes Amendment Act, 2025, would make Alberta’s elections and other democratic processes more open, secure and accessible.

“I believe that democracy thrives when people trust the process. These changes would make elections at every level in Alberta more accessible and transparent while protecting their integrity, ensuring confidence in the outcomes. We are also creating more opportunities for Albertans to be involved in direct democracy and to have their say on issues that matter to them.”

Danielle Smith, Premier

Fair and free elections are the foundation of democracy, and Alberta’s government is taking action to protect them. The proposed changes include:

Banning the use of electronic tabulators and other automated voting machines, requiring all ballots to be counted by hand to protect election integrity.
Eliminating vouching at voting stations to strengthen identification and verification processes.
Requiring unofficial vote counts to be completed within 12 hours of polls closing to provide timely, reliable results.
Voters being required to cast their ballot in their constituency of residence or by requesting a special ballot.
Expanding access to special ballots, allowing any voter to request one without needing to provide a reason while protecting integrity by requiring voters to personally request their special ballot (with exceptions for those needing assistance due to a disability).
Updating the Recall Act to make it easier for Albertans to hold elected officials accountable by lowering the signature threshold and extending the timeframe to collect signatures.
Improving the Citizen Initiative Act process by setting the threshold for all successful petitions at 10 per cent of eligible voters who participated in the last general election.

“Albertans rightly expect their government to make sure democratic processes are fair and transparent with accurate and timely results. These proposed amendments would deliver on my mandate to review and make changes to strengthen public trust in the integrity of our elections.”

Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice and Attorney General

Additional amendments under the Election Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 would:

Allow corporate and union contributions for provincial elections while maintaining transparency and accountability through existing financial disclosure requirements.
Improve access to voting for First Nations and Métis Settlements during referendums and Senate elections.
Enhance emergency response provisions for voting disruptions during referendums and Senate elections.

These changes would help ensure that Alberta’s democratic processes are open, secure, and reflective of the will of Albertans, while creating new opportunities for greater public participation.

Quick facts

The Election Act governs the process for provincial elections, by-elections and plebiscites in Alberta and creates the office of the chief electoral officer, the head of Elections Alberta.
The Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act governs the financing of provincial elections, Senate elections and referendums, including rules for registered political parties, constituency associations, candidates, leadership contestants and third parties.
The Alberta Senate Election Act governs the process for Senate elections in Alberta.
The Referendum Act governs the process for referendums in Alberta.
The Recall Act outlines the process for Albertans to initiate the recall of an elected MLA.
The Citizen Initiative Act allows eligible voters in Alberta to propose legislative or policy initiatives, constitutional referendum questions and establishes rules for advertising and spending.