Smith, premiers vow to support stability, unity in wake of federal government chaos

Alberta's premier is among provincial leaders promising Canadians stability and unity as fractures form within the federal government.

Alberta's premier is among provincial leaders promising Canadians stability and unity as fractures form within the federal government.

Danielle Smith said Monday at the fall meeting of Canada's premiers that she's taking away encouragement from the outgoing finance minister's resignation letter to keep working to lessen the threat of a trade war with the U.S.

"I am reading it as, "Please keep going, premiers. Please keep meeting. Please keep reaching out to governors," Smith told media on Monday in Toronto, site of the Council of the Federation meeting.

On the same day she was set to deliver an economic statement, Chrystia Freeland resigned from her federal cabinet post as finance minister, joining housing minister Sean Fraser. Senior cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc was sworn in as her replacement in the finance portfolio on Monday afternoon.

That triggered a cabinet shuffle, followed by a fiscal update with a much bigger deficit than projected.

In Freeland's absence, Government House Leader Karina Gould tabled the government's long-anticipated fall economic statement in the House of Commons – on the second last day of the House of Commons fall sitting, without a speech. It showed a deficit of $61.9-billion for 2023-24.

The major shakeup and the political uncertainty it prompted has revived calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign, both from other party leaders and within his own caucus.