Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, NDP Leader Avi Lewis rejected the suggestion that anti-oil-and-gas rhetoric from environmental activists is helping fuel Alberta’s independence movement. Asked by the Western Standard whether opposition to pipelines and fossil fuel development was contributing to rising independence sentiment, Lewis answered, “No, I do not.”
Lewis instead pointed to Premier Danielle Smith, saying she faces pressure from a separatist segment of her own base and is “trying to walk a fine line.” He dismissed ongoing referendum manoeuvring as “entering into the territory of absurdity.”
He also tied the energy debate to Indigenous consultation obligations, accusing the Carney government of “pretending that Section 35 doesn’t exist in our constitution” and warning that disputes over major projects are “creating a pipeline to the courts.” Lewis reiterated that Alberta’s movement has “no point of comparison” with Quebec’s historic sovereignty movement, calling it “MAGA aligned, potentially funded” and elevated to national prominence by Smith.
Source: Western Standard. Reproduced for reference under fair dealing (Copyright Act, s. 29).