Premier Smith – Provincial Priorities Act aims to have Alberta be treated “just like Quebec”

On April 10, Premier Danielle Smith introduced Bill 18, the Provincial Priorities Act, in the
legislature. This act would require provincial entities to obtain a rubber stamp from Alberta’s
government before signing, changing, extending, or renewing any agreement with the Federal
Government.
“People shouldn’t be surprised by this because I said right from the beginning that I wanted our
province to be treated just like Quebec. I discovered that Quebec has a piece of legislation that
forces the federal government to stay in its own lane, particularly when it comes to signing deals
with municipalities. The federal government is compelled to partner with the provincial
government so they can get fair arrangements,” explained Premier Danielle Smith during a
press conference.
The Ministère du Conseil Exécutif (Minister of the Executive Council) governs the approval and
authorization process in Quebec, specifically for intergovernmental agreements between them
and any other governments in Canada, including the Federal Government. Premier Danielle
Smith said Bill 18 would give Alberta similar powers that Quebec has over how federal funding
is used and under what restrictions or requirements, if any, it is given.
“We just saw a dramatic example of why this matters so much. In Quebec, they signed a one
time, nine hundred-million-dollar housing accelerator agreement which allows for Quebec to
treat all of its municipalities fairly and ensure that the money is going to the municipalities who
need it most.” She said Alberta’s rollout was much different. “They’ve been flying in announcing
one-time agreements, putting onerous restrictions on our municipalities, pitting urban against
rural and one municipality against the other and massively shortchanging our province on what
we’re entitled to on a per capita basis,” explained Premier Smith.
She said one of the fixes is treating the provinces like their French neighbour, where the
provincial government governs how and where money is divided, not the Feds. “Alberta
continues to pay more in federal taxes than we get back in federal program spending. It is
because of these kinds of unfair deals that they sign, and we are drawing a line. We are saying,
you’re not going to do that anymore. If you want to have a cooperative federalism, treat us just
like Quebec.”
If Bill 18 passes, agreements between the federal government and provincial entities, like
municipalities, that don’t have provincial approval would be denied. However, Premier Smith did
say it wouldn’t be retroactive, meaning it wouldn’t change agreements already signed. “We think
this is the way that we can make sure that all of our municipalities get the funding that they need
in order to fund a growing population,” she said.
Rick McIver, Minister of Municipal Affairs, agreed. “Two, three weeks ago, the Federal Housing
Minister rolled into Edmonton and committed $175 million, which is fine that they’re helping with
housing, but while demanding a whole bunch of changes to their land use bylaws that the
minister has no right to do. They’re way out of their lane trying to change municipal rules around
land use and planning. Constitutionally, it’s one hundred percent provincial jurisdiction.”
Municipalities are listed under the Exclusive Powers of Provincial Legislatures in the Canadian
Constitution (ss. 92, 92a, and 93 of the Constitution Acts 1867 to 1982), as are hospitals,

property rights, and the management and sale of provincial public lands and natural resources.
The Constitution lays out where the federal and provincial governments hold rank or where they
share powers. For municipalities, the rank is held solely by the province.
Bill 18 would prevent the duplication of taxpayer-paid programs, such as dental care, by
allowing the focus to be on expanding existing provincial programs. The legislation would also
support the Alberta government in accessing a “fair share” of road, housing, and infrastructure
funding. Last summer, the province only received 2.5 percent of the $1.5 billion in federal
housing funding despite being home to 12 percent of the country’s population and having the
fastest-growing population (www.alberta.ca).
When questioned about Alberta’s plans at a press conference, Prime Minister Trudeau
commented that Canadians essentially want money without caring much about whose
responsibility it is. “They just want it to get done, and that’s why we are there to work hand in
hand in full respect with those provinces who want to solve the problem and ask those
provinces that don’t want to solve the problem to just get out of the way while we solve that
problem that Canadians are facing.”
Premier Smith said the bill was a “mechanism” to bring federal and provincial dollars to the table
at the same time to support municipalities better. She noted that of the roughly 14,000 existing
agreements in the province, only about 800 have been flagged as “problematic.” It was pointed
out that most of those issues were related to minor problems, such as the placement of Canada
Post mailboxes or Canada Day funding.
If Bill 18 is passed in the legislature, the next step will be to hold summer consultations, with
implementation planned for 2025. Concerns were raised by staff and students from several
post-secondary institutions over the funding they receive for research. Comprehensive
stakeholder engagement will play a critical role in developing the supporting regulations that will
show how the approval process will work and what requirements will be needed while heeding
raised concerns from those impacted.
“We’re not a subservient government under Canada’s Constitution. We’re a fellow government,
and we want the same funding formula as what Quebec gets and has gotten for a long time.
We’re not going to sit silently anymore while they treat us terribly and take us for granted,” said
Minister McIver. Residents can learn more about the proposed legislation by visiting
www.alberta.ca and searching for the “Provincial Priorities Act.”