Western premiers meet in Yellowknife to talk trade, energy and Arctic security

British Columbia Premier David Eby, from left, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok during a media availability at the 2024 Western Premiers’ Conference in Whitehorse, Monday, June 10, 2024. CANADIAN PRESS/Crystal Schick

YELLOWKNIFE — Premiers from Western Canada are to meet Wednesday to kick off a two-day conference in Yellowknife.

Set to attend are Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, British Columbia’s David Eby, Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe, Manitoba’s Wab Kinew, Nunavut’s P.J. Akeeagok, Yukon’s outgoing Premier Ranj Pillai and Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson.

This annual conference comes two weeks before all Canada’s premiers are to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Saskatoon.

A statement from Simpson’s office last week said the western leaders are set to discuss a range of issues, including Arctic sovereignty, energy security, international trade and emergency preparedness.

Housing, economic corridors and tariffs are also on the agenda.

Smith said the meeting is taking place at a “critical moment” for Alberta, in the wake of last month’s federal election. She said she plans to advocate for new pipelines.

“We cannot afford federal overreach into provincial jurisdiction to continue or damaging federal policies to impact the upward trajectory of our economies,” Smith said Tuesday in a statement.

“I will be at the table to advocate for Alberta’s interests, particularly the importance of new pipelines, in an effort to put the power of our economy back in the hands of western Canadians.”

Eby said Tuesday that Western Canada is “leading the country, being the engine of the economy for Canada,” but he lamented talk of western separatism in the lead-up to the meeting.

“I think it’s really unfortunate that at this moment, when Western Canada is stepping into the spotlight, that there’s any discussion at all about leaving Canada,” Eby told an unrelated news conference.

“I mean, to advance that at the moment, it’s strange.”

Akeeagok said in an email he’s looking to push the conversation forward on Arctic security and infrastructure projects needed to strengthen it.

The long-discussed Grays Bay Road and Port proposal, which would connect Yellowknife to the eastern Arctic coast by road, would help unlock the North’s vast economic potential, he said.

“The Arctic holds incredible promise and, through strategic investments in critical infrastructure, we can responsibly access key resources, including critical minerals,” he said.

A spokesperson for Moe said the premier plans to discuss items he recently urged Carney to act on, including strengthening the Criminal Code, giving provinces full responsibility for the industrial carbon levy, repealing clean electricity regulations and expanding pipelines.

Moe has said he also wants Carney to immediately begin negotiations with China to remove Beijing’s tariffs on Canadian agricultural goods.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2025.

By Jack Farrell in Edmonton, with files from Jeremy Simes in Regina, The Canadian Press