SPEAK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG STICK

carry a big stick - you will go far”.

The Alberta Sovereignty Act is a pretty big stick.

The Act, passed by the Alberta government last spring, defends Alberta’s interests by giving us a stick to use against federal laws that negatively impact the province.

And there have been a lot of them.

Soon after Justin Trudeau was sworn in as Prime Minister in 2015, he began to eye Alberta’s energy industry as an easy opponent to attack to win votes in the east.

At the time, his anti-energy position was largely lauded by Alberta’s NDP Premier Rachel Notley - who had already implemented her own carbon tax.

The NDP also pioneered the “Just Transition” philosophy that the federal government is now obsessed with, along with energy project cancellations, tanker bans, restrictions on pipelines, and more.

Here in Alberta, we know the impact poor government decisions can have on the economy and everyday families.

Enter Danielle Smith and the Sovereignty Act.

Many constitutional scholars fired off opinion after opinion declaring the Sovereignty Act unconstitutional, and saying it would scare away investment from Alberta.

They were wrong.

The economic doom didn't materialize, and the Sovereignty Act is already working to push back against the federal government.

On Monday, Premier Danielle Smith met with federal cabinet ministers Jonathan Wilkinson and Dominic LeBlanc.

All signs point to the meeting being productive, and yesterday’s federal budget seems to confirm it.

There's no incoming “Just Transition” missile, at least for now.

There's no more talk about phasing out the energy industry, at least for now.

The Sovereignty Act has almost backed the federal government off.

Not entirely, but close.

Not forever, but for now.

The less confrontational approach to Ottawa of previous Premiers was ineffective and a waste of time.

It turns out that carrying a big stick actually does have an effect - especially when it comes to federal-provincial relations.

Teddy was right: Speak softly and pass the Sovereignty Act, and you’ll go far.