On Wednesday, Nixon also said he doubted such legislation — which seeks to allow Alberta to refuse to enforce any specific federal law or policy that runs counter to its interests — would pass the legislature. “I would caution anyone who wants to lead our party about promising things that we know cannot be delivered,” Nixon said, adding that he has not spoken directly to Smith about the idea. Nixon, the House leader, said there were three “big problems” with the act: it would break the law, it would scare away investors and upset the market, and it is unlikely to work. Alberta Finance Minister and Government Leader Jason Nixon says UCP leadership candidate Danielle Smith’s proposal for an Alberta Sovereignty Act as outlined will not pass the legislature pic .twitter.com/syEhj4EbXA —@Jantafrench He said he understands the frustrations some Albertans have with the federal government, but this act is not the answer. “Telling Albertans you can achieve something you can’t is very problematic in the long run for our party,” Nixon said. “Governments in our province have been fighting this fight for a long time, and to present to Albertans in any way that there is some magic solution that could be passed by the legislature tomorrow that would somehow make all these problems go away, it’s not real, and that’s what I’d like to call attention to now,” Nixon said. The Alberta Sovereignty Act is a key part of Smith’s platform. In a statement to CBC News, Smith said her proposed act “would authorize the Alberta Legislature to refuse to enforce any specific law or policy of the Federal Government that infringes Alberta’s provincial rights under section 92 of the Constitution or the Albertans’ Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” Danielle Smith says her Alberta Sovereignty Act would allow MLAs to freely vote on any federal law her government deems to infringe on Alberta’s provincial rights. pic.twitter.com/ApC6jbOMDY —@MBellefontaine He added that the act would only be used after a free vote by all MLAs in the legislature on whether and how to use it to oppose a federal law. “My guess is that such a vote would pass by a healthy margin,” Smith said.
The act is unconstitutional and illegal, says a political scientist
Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt agrees with Nixon’s assessment of Smith’s proposed act. “It would be unconstitutional, it would be illegal. It would lead to a dangerous investment climate in Alberta,” Bratt said. “These are promises that can be made but would never happen that are impossible,” he said.
Leadership struggle intervention
Bratt also found it remarkable that Nixon, a senior party official, is directly intervening in the leadership race during the deadline for candidates to vie for the party’s top job. “We are seeing a real disconnect between one of the leading UCP leadership candidates and the current UCP government,” Bratt said. “We’re seeing a major policy proposal, which could be seen as one of the frontrunners in the leadership race, come under direct attack from a senior Kenney administration minister.” I was wondering when we were going to see a major disconnect between the current UCP government and the UCP leadership candidate proposals. Jason Nixon nixing Smith’s Sovereignty Act (her first venture) is one such moment. —@DuaneBratt Nixon said he has yet to endorse any leadership candidate, but then said it was “a great pleasure” to serve with former Treasury Secretary Travis Tuss. “I think he is the best candidate to lead this party.” UCP members will choose a new leader to replace Jason Kenney in October after a postal vote.
