Separatism and energy; Alberta’s Smith to meet with counterpart in Quebec this week

Jun 1, 2026 | 4:48 PM

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is planning to meet with her counterpart in Quebec City this week, with separatism and energy possible topics of discussion.

Smith says she’s hoping Quebec Premier Christine Frechette will be open to talking about an east-west energy corridor.

Smith says every time she has met with leadership in Quebec that she has talked about developing a self-sufficient energy sector.

She says Frechette has discussed reopening that conversation.

Smith spoke about the trip at an unrelated news conference in Calgary.

She also says while she and Frechette wish to remain in Canada as separatism flares in their provinces, both have shared interests in deepening their independence.

“I think that we can have a strong partnership between Quebec and Alberta, not only on how we repair the country so it gets back to the way it was initially intended to run, but also on an energy corridor,” Smith said Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2026.

by Dayne Patterson, The Canadian Press