'Not looking for a fight' but nothing off the table when it comes to Alberta sovereignty act, PM Trudeau says

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that while he's 'not looking for a fight' with Alberta, the federal government is not taking anything off the table when it comes to how it may respond to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's new 'sovereignty act.'

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that while he's "not looking for a fight" with Alberta, the federal government is not taking anything off the table when it comes to how it may respond to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's new 'sovereignty act.'

"We know that the exceptional powers that the premier is choosing to give the Alberta government in bypassing the Alberta legislature, is causing a lot of eyebrows to raise in Alberta," Trudeau told reporters on his way into a Liberal caucus meeting on Wednesday.

"We're going to see how this plays out. I'm not going to take anything off the table, but I'm also not looking for a fight. We want to continue to be there to deliver for Albertans," Trudeau said.

On Tuesday, Smith introduced the 'Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act' in the legislature, proposing to give her cabinet new powers to rewrite provincial laws without legislative debate, while trying to reassure Albertans that it has nothing to do with leaving the country.

"A long and painful history of mistreatment and constitutional overreach from Ottawa has for decades caused tremendous frustration for Albertans," Smith told reporters. "In response, we're finally telling the federal government: 'No more.' It's time to stand up for Alberta."

The provincial bill still has a ways to go before it could become law, but should it come to pass, the act would allow any cabinet minister, including the premier, to identify federal initiatives and legislation that are deemed unconstitutional or "harmful to Albertans" and introduce a motion in the legislature to invoke it. 

While the Alberta government has indicated some degree of confidence that its legislation would survive a court challenge, the provincial government has vowed to continue to respect court rulings, something that was not clear when Smith initially proposed a 'sovereignty act.'