Federal NDP leader says Alberta sovereignty act ‘a distraction’ from real problems

Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says Alberta’s proposed sovereignty act is undemocratic and an unwelcome distraction from the struggles residents of the province are facing.

After a meeting Friday with union leaders in Calgary, Singh took aim at the bill Premier Danielle Smith introduced on Tuesday.

Smith has described it as a deliberately confrontational tool to reset the relationship with a federal government she accuses of interfering in constitutionally protected areas of provincial responsibility, from energy development to health care.

But Singh said that at a time when Albertans are suffering from record-high inflation and an overloaded health-care system, the proposed legislation makes no sense.

“I think it is a bit of a distraction at a time when we’re seeing unprecedented record inflation, at a time when people are having a hard time buying groceries and people are using food banks more than ever,” Singh told reporters Friday.

“At a time like that, Danielle Smith chooses to bring in this act. It really shows a lot of heartlessness.”

Smith has rejected accusations that the bill amounts to a power grab.

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Alberta to consider amendments to Sovereignty Act amid investment concerns

“Every decision that is going to be made has to first get the validation from this assembly,” she told the legislature earlier this week.