BOESSENKOOL: What is Danielle Smith's Dance with Ottawa About?

Don’t expect a grand bargain, instead expect a long dance 

Key Points: 

• A quick "Grand Bargain" between Alberta and Ottawa is unlikely. Instead, expect a "long dance" where Alberta may eventually accept a rising industrial carbon price.
• Any significant agreement, particularly regarding pipeline projects, is meaningless without the full participation and support of Indigenous Peoples.
• The B.C. government's support and its strict conditions are also essential for any federal pipeline project to proceed to B.C.'s northern coast, making them a crucial, yet absent, party in the negotiations.

Following the budget, a very curious thing happened - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith remained surprisingly silent. Smith is easily the most anti-Ottawa Premier Alberta has seen in decades, if not ever. While Premiers often criticize the federal government, in Alberta, 'fighting Ottawa' is raised to the level of ritual.