By Nia Williams
(Reuters) -Danielle Smith was sworn in as premier of Canada’s main oil-producing province Alberta on Tuesday, days after winning the United Conservative Party (UCP) leadership race with promises to stand up to the federal government in Ottawa.
Smith became Alberta’s third female premier, and nineteenth overall, at a ceremony in the provincial capital Edmonton.
At a news conference held afterwards, she reiterated plans to reform the provincial health service, ban COVID-19 vaccine mandates and said she would fire Alberta’s chief medical officer Deena Hinshaw, who led the public health response to the pandemic.
But Smith appeared to backtrack on her most eye-catching policy, the proposed Alberta Sovereignty Act, which during campaigning she said would allow the province to ignore federal laws that harm Alberta.
Instead she told reporters Alberta would respect Supreme Court of Canada rulings but litigate decisions it disagrees with, like the federal carbon tax.
“It’s not a perfect application of what the original idea was, but I felt it was my job to look at the constitution, see what was possible, find out the ways in which the federal government interferes with our jurisdiction….and also indicate that we were going to defend the Charter of Rights of our citizens,” Smith said.
Alberta is home to Canada’s vast oil sands and has a strained relationship with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government in Ottawa, stemming from a sense that the federal government’s climate polices are damaging Alberta’s oil and gas industry.
Smith said she had seen “nothing but hostility” from federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
The new premier will appoint her cabinet this month and will run in a by-election in the electoral riding of Brooks-Medicine on Nov. 8, as she does not currently hold a seat in the Alberta legislature.
Smith replaced Jason Kenney as leader of the UCP and premier of Alberta, who resigned in May after failing to secure a strong majority in a leadership vote among party members disappointed by his handling of the pandemic. Smith said Kenney declined an invitation to discuss the transition with her.
Alberta will hold a provincial election next May.
(Reporting by Nia Williams;Editing by Marguerita Choy and Josie Kao)