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'A lot of good faith': Federal politicians pledge to work with Alberta's Danielle Smith after election win

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet have been congratulating Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her election win, saying they have 鈥渆very interest to collaborate,鈥 after she called out the federal government鈥檚 energy policies in her victory speech.

Smith and her United Conservative Party won a majority Monday night after a tight race against Rachel Notley鈥檚 NDP.

Trudeau extended his congratulations Tuesday on his way into Question Period, saying he looks forward to speaking with Smith.

鈥淲e will continue to work on growing the economy, on fighting climate change, and on supporting Albertans into the future,鈥 he said.

Smith in her victory speech took aim at Trudeau and his government鈥檚 energy policies, calling them 鈥渉armful.鈥

鈥淗opefully the prime minister and his caucus are watching tonight,鈥 she said. 鈥淟et me be clear this is not a road we can afford to go down."

She added, "If he persists, he will be hurting Canadians from coast to coast, and he will strain the patience and goodwill of Albertans in an unprecedented fashion."

Smith called on the federal government to 鈥渟how it is willing to partner in good faith鈥 to find ways to reduce emissions.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc chalked up Smith's criticisms of the federal government in her speech to being election night talk and suggested that her tone may change as she makes the transition from campaign rhetoric to governing.

鈥淭hese are normal parts of election campaigns,鈥 he said. 鈥淪he was elected premier of an important province in our federation. I come from Atlantic Canada, and the economy of Alberta is important to the economy of the whole country.鈥

Smith meanwhile told CTV鈥檚 Power Play host Vassy Kapelos, in an interview airing Tuesday, she鈥檇 鈥渓ove to reset鈥 Alberta鈥檚 relationship with the federal government, to work toward more 鈥渁chievable鈥 emissions targets.

鈥淚'd love to be able to work together on things that that we can agree on, because I don't think the country benefits by seeing Alberta shut its economy down,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd I think that the country benefits when we do well.鈥

LeBlanc said he鈥檚 looking forward to meeting with Smith in Alberta in the coming weeks.

鈥淚 think she's going to see a lot of good faith on our part,鈥 he said.

鈥淲e have every interest to collaborate with the government of Alberta on shared priorities, on things we have in common,鈥 he also said. 鈥淚 said to her very directly that we won't agree on everything, but let's start by focusing on the things we agree on, and let's see if we can work through the areas of disagreement.鈥

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said Tuesday he鈥檚 鈥渃onfident鈥 the federal Liberals and Smith鈥檚 government in Alberta will be able to 鈥渨ork (their) differences out.鈥

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland also commented on the election results, saying, 鈥淭he people of Alberta have spoken, and we recognize that.鈥

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre meanwhile congratulated Smith 鈥渙n bringing home a resounding victory鈥 in a tweet Tuesday morning.

鈥淟ast night Albertans rejected the woke NDP-Liberal coalition and instead voted to fight the carbon tax, stand up for our energy sector and unleash the full potential of Alberta鈥檚 economy,鈥 he wrote.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also weighed in on Smith鈥檚 victory Tuesday, saying he was 鈥渄isappointed鈥 with the results, calling them 鈥渂ad for Alberta,鈥 and 鈥渂ad for Canada.鈥

But, he added, he鈥檚 heartened that his Alberta counterparts have 鈥渃hanged the landscape of politics鈥 in the province, taking it from a one-party province a decade ago to Notley and the NDP being a real contender in this race.

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