Premier Ford says former federal gov’t treated Alberta ‘like garbage’

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says that Alberta was treated “like garbage” by the former Liberal government in Ottawa.

Ford made the comment during a news conference in Calgary on Monday as he stood beside Alberta Premier Daniel Smith to announce the details of a proposed new pipeline between her province and Ontario.

Back in May, Ford called Alberta’s possible separation from Canada a “disaster,” adding that it appeared Premier Smith was trying to “protect her 30 per cent base” by allowing a separation-related question to be on the ballot in October.

“I think the world of Premier Smith, first of all, and we are focused on a pipeline,” Ford said on Monday when asked about his previous comments.

“Let me cut to the chase here, the previous federal government, not this one, the previous federal government treated Alberta like garbage, like terrible. I’ve never seen anything as bad as that. So I know that Premier Smith wants a proud, sovereign Alberta, part of Canada. And again, we are there to support her. It is Team Canada. I’ll do anything we can.”

Earlier this year, Smith confirmed that Albertans will vote on whether to separate from Canada when they head to the polls on Oct. 19.

According to Smith, the questions will read: “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”

A spokesperson from Ford’s office said the premier is a “supporter of Team Canada.”

Over the weekend, Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre spoke to a crowd in Calgary, where he vowed to “fight for Canada.”

He said he plans to “win back Albertans” in a way that is “respectful to people in both sides of this debate” and not by “finger-wagging.”

“There are legitimate points of view to go around,” he added, “and while i have been very clear that I will always stand for a united Canada, we will always be willing to listen to the views and address the legitimate concerns of people who are involved in this debate. We want to ensure that when this is all over, we will once again be fully united as citizens of a common land dedicated to a common purpose of restoring the promise of this country.”

Proposed pipeline would start in Hardisty, Alta

Ford and Smith held the news conference in Calgary on Monday to unveil details of a proposed route of a potential pipeline between Ontario and Alberta.

Speaking at a news conference in Calgary on Monday morning, the two provinces announced that the proposed pipeline, which is currently the subject of a feasibility study, would start in Hardisty, Alta and continue east through Regina and Winnipeg, before ending the route in Sarnia, Ont.

“Our plan to build the Northern Shield Energy Corridor is a plan to protect workers in Ontario, Alberta and every part of the country,” Premier Doug Ford said in a written statement.

According to the Ford government, the study will explore the “benefits of building new pipelines with Canadian steel to carry Western Canadian oil and gas from Alberta and Saskatchewan to new and established refineries in southern Ontario and new ports on James Bay, Hudson Bay and the Great Lakes.”

The study is expected to be completed this year and will provide a cost analysis of the proposed project.

With files from Stephen Hunt, CTV News Calgary