Canada’s Western Leaders Find ‘Broad Areas of Agreement and Shared Priority’ During Conference: BC Premier

Canada’s Western premiers met in Whistler, B.C., Tuesday to discuss the economy, affordability, and future prosperity.

Premiers from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nunavut, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories attended the conference and issued a joint press release on June 27.

During a news conference following the group meeting, B.C. Premier David Eby, the conference’s host, said that the premiers can “solve big problems if we work together.”

“We found very broad areas of agreement and shared priority,” he said.

Besides discussing the “ongoing wildfire crisis and the serious threat catastrophic weather events pose to communities,” the group said they discussed continuing to work together, as well as shared priorities including strategic infrastructure and corridors; climate action and sustainable development; energy security; immigration; labour markets and mobility; Arctic security and sovereignty; and community safety.

The Western premiers indicated they have agreed to enhance trade corridors and have called on the federal government to collaborate with provinces and territories on future infrastructure needs.

“Communities are experiencing unprecedented inflationary pressures and cost overruns on existing projects due to supply chain issues and input costs. Provinces and territories are urgently seeking details on how these pressures will be addressed and what replacement for the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) will be forthcoming,” said the press release.

The group said that they sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on June 15 to “reiterate provinces’ and territories’ shared priorities on infrastructure funding and policy in the absence of federal direction on a program to replace the ICIP.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said at a press conference following the meeting that it was important that provinces have “per capita funding with no strings attached so that each jurisdiction has the ability to identify the projects that are important to them.”

Smith noted that the territories needed special funding and the federal government needs to be “mindful” of providing some kind of equivalence and fairness in how projects are funded.

The B.C. premier said that his province “has not seen our fair share of this type of funding,” listing indigenous housing and infrastructure as areas of concern. “For funding programs, it doesn’t mean that other provinces need to be funded less, it means that the funding that’s available from the federal government needs to be distributed fairly.”

The premiers also discussed climate change and the need for strategies specific to each region’s local needs and priorities.

“The federal government must respect the jurisdiction of provinces and territories, and work with them to reduce emissions while they continue to develop existing and future energy sources. Significantly increased federal investment is needed in Western provinces and territories, commensurate with investments elsewhere in the country,” said the premiers.

The premiers agreed that electricity and energy regulation is the exclusive jurisdiction of provinces and territories, and are united in their view that federal policies “must not infringe on their authority and must recognize their unique needs and situations.”

All of the Western premiers reported that they are dealing with a labour market shortage, particularly affecting health care. The group agreed they will collaborate to remove barriers for workers who want to be licensed.

Arctic security was discussed, with concerns over recent events of foreign or unknown aerial and marine incursions into the Canadian Arctic. The group also discussed crime, and said each jurisdiction was working on initiatives to combat crime, invest in mental health and addiction supports, and improve safety, particularly for vulnerable communities.

The premiers said they are continuing to demand that the federal government strengthen Canada’s bail system and pass the proposed amendments to the Criminal Code.

“It is critically important that the federal government prioritize and pass the amendments to improve the bail system and target repeat violent offenders and serious offences committed with firearms and other weapons. Western Premiers are committed to protecting Canadians from violence, addressing both urban and rural crime, and working with the federal government to address the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the correctional system,” said the group.

The next meeting of the Western premiers will take place in the Yukon in 2024.