The Canadian province of Alberta on Thursday passed a bill that allows its government, recently led by an ultra-conservative prime minister, to ignore federal laws it deems harmful - such as measures to reduce emissions from its oil industry.
The vote on the controversial "Sovereignty Act" opens the way to a new period of tension between this western Canadian province, the country's main oil producer thanks to its oil sands, and the government of Justin Trudeau in Ottawa.
"Sovereign Powers"
Chosen in early November after the resignation of her predecessor, new Prime Minister Danielle Smith wants to use the law as a tool to counter upcoming federal gun control measures and the national carbon tax, which aims to reduce emissions. of greenhouse gases by gradually increasing from 50 Canadian dollars (35 euros) per tonne of CO2 emissions currently to 170 dollars in 2030.
"It's not as if Ottawa is a national government,"
said the news Prime Minister.
“Our country functions as a federation of sovereign and independent jurisdictions. We have the right to exercise our sovereign powers in our own areas of competence,”
she added.
For the New Democratic Party (NDP), the main opposition party in the province, this bill remains an unconstitutional
“mess”
that bypasses the democratic process and risks hindering investment.
Indigenous leaders have also criticized this new legislation, which infringes on their treaty rights.
Read alsoCanada to the rescue of Alberta oil
With less than six months to go before the election in Alberta and while the NDP has vowed to repeal the bill if they win, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has denounced the province's desire
"to take revenge on the federal government"
.
But rather than
'quarreling'
, Justin Trudeau said his administration would seek to
'work as constructively as possible'
with Alberta on federal priorities such as jobs, child care, dental and aides. to housing.
