Danielle Smith touts Alberta supremacy at Rotary International Convention in Calgary
Article content
More than 15,000 Rotary members from more than 120 countries are expected to gather in Calgary this week for the Rotary International Convention, a five-day event that runs through Wednesday at Stampede Park.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Speaking at the official opening ceremony at the Scotiabank Saddledome, Smith — a former Rotarian herself — described Alberta as 'Canada's economic engine,' pointing to the province's population growth, economic climate and natural resource wealth.
Article content
Article content
'I want to take this opportunity to do just a little bit of bragging about this beautiful province,' she said. 'That is one of the perks of my job. I get to be the lead cheerleader for my favorite place in the world.'
Article content
Smith cited recent Statistics Canada data showing that Alberta led the country in population growth during the first quarter of 2025, gaining more new residents than the rest of Canada combined. Between Jan. 1 and April 1, Alberta's population grew by 20,562, while four provinces and one territory saw population declines, including record quarterly losses in Ontario and British Columbia.
Article content
Article content
Alberta also had the highest net gain from interprovincial migration during that time.
Article content
Article content
Smith attributed the growth to economic opportunity and a 'welcoming and free society,' drawing people to the province.
Article content
'Alberta has drawn in people from near and far for a few very good reasons,' she said. 'Investors see our low corporate taxes, our skilled workforce, and our business-friendly climate as an increasingly attractive package and our tech sector is growing as a result.'
Article content
Article content
'Since 2019, our government has added around 10,000 addiction treatment spaces, including detox treatment and long-term recovery spaces,' she said. 'We recognize that we have a lot more work to do, but the Alberta recovery model is showing early signs of success, and we're very proud of what we have accomplished so far.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
GOLDSTEIN: Alberta's separation question, unlike Quebec's, is crystal clear
Premier Danielle Smith speaks to reporters during a press conference at the Alberta Legislature, in Edmonton, May 6, 2025. Photo by David Bloom / Postmedia Network Whatever one thinks of Alberta's separation movement, the referendum question it seeks to pose to Albertans is a vast improvement over those confronting voters in the 1995 and 1980 Quebec referenda on separation. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Proposed by Mitch Sylvestre, chair of the separatist Alberta Prosperity Project, it seeks a 'YES' or 'NO' answer to the question: 'Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?' That would appear to satisfy the first requirement of the federal Clarity Act passed by Parliament in 2000, incorporating the legal advice of the Supreme Court of Canada, that the question on separation must be 'clear' to those voting on it. Particularly so when compared to the question posed to Quebecers in the 1995 Quebec referendum on separation. It read: 'Do you agree that Quebec should become sovereign, after having made a formal offer to Canada for a new economic and political partnership, within the scope of the Bill respecting the future of Quebec and of the agreement signed on 12 June 1995?' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While Quebecers are astute followers of politics, understanding this question required knowing, as explained by The Canadian Encyclopedia online, that 'the bill' referred to Quebec's Bill 1, An Act Respecting the Future of Quebec, which included a declaration of sovereignty in its preamble, while 'the agreement signed on 12 June 1995' referenced an accord between the Parti Quebecois and the Action democratic du Quebec (ADQ) party, ratified by then-Quebec premier Jacques Parizeau, then-BQ leader Lucien Bouchard and then-ADQ leader Mario Dumont. The question posed to Quebecers in the first separation referendum in 1980 was even more complex. It read: 'The Government of Quebec has made public its proposal to negotiate a new agreement with the rest of Canada, based on the equality of nations; this agreement would enable Quebec to acquire the exclusive power to make its laws, levy its taxes and establish relations abroad — in other words, sovereignty — and at the same time to maintain with Canada an economic association including a common currency; any change in political status resulting from these negotiations will only be implemented with popular approval through another referendum; on these terms, do you give the Government of Quebec the mandate to negotiate the proposed agreement between Quebec and Canada?' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The 'NO' side, opposed to separation, won the 1995 referendum by the narrowest of margins — 50.58% to 49.42% for the 'YES' side — a winning margin of a mere 54,288 votes out of 4,671,008 valid ballots cast, with a registered voter turnout of 93.52%. The 1980 Quebec referendum on separation failed by a much wider margin, with 59.56% voting 'NO' to 40.44% for the 'YES' side — a winning margin of 702,139 votes out of 3,673,843 valid ballots cast, with a registered voter turnout of 85.6%. In the wake of those votes and, in particular, given the razor-thin vote for the 'NO' side in the 1995 Quebec referendum, the 2000 federal Clarity Act specified that in addition to a 'clear question,' a 'clear majority' of voters was required to decide the issue, without explaining what a clear majority meant. The proposed referendum question in Alberta still has several legal and political hurdles to clear and faces a competing referendum question asking: 'Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?' That said, it would be hard to fault Alberta's proposed question on separation for a lack of clarity. Read More MLB Celebrity Wrestling Toronto & GTA Ontario
2 hours ago
Trump orders 50% tariff on some copper imports, citing national security
Headlines Latest News Podcasts (new window) Home International Trade Agreements The tariff will apply to semi-finished copper products and copper-intensive derivative products U.S. President Donald Trump is pictured at Trump Turnberry golf club in Turnberry, Scotland, earlier this week. The president ordered 50 per cent tariffs on copper on Wednesday. / Andrew Harnik U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a proclamation ordering 50 per cent tariffs on certain copper imports, citing national security, the White House said. The proclamation imposes a 50 per cent tariff on semi-finished copper products and copper-intensive derivative products as of Aug. 1, according to a fact sheet released by the White House. The tariffs will exclude copper scrap and copper input materials such as copper ores, concentrates, mattes, cathodes and anodes, the statement said. The measure came after a U.S. investigation under Section 232 that Trump ordered in February. That section of U.S. trade law allows the president to impose levies on certain goods that are said to threaten national security. Along with tariffs, the order calls for steps to support the domestic copper industry, including requiring 25 per cent of high-quality scrap produced in the U.S. to also be sold within the country. With files from CBC News Warmer temperatures mean ticks are showing up in places they haven't before Advisory cancelled for B.C. coast after massive earthquake struck off Russia 2 hours ago Incidents & Natural Disasters Restaurant food prices jumped 25% between 2019 and 2023, says Statistics Canada Economists widely expected the central bank to hold off on changing the lending rate 4 hours ago Economic Indicators 'Catch up on shows? Whatever. There's always someone at the beach'
Ottawa Citizen
4 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Statistics Canada to end more than 140 workers' contracts this fall
Statistics Canada will scrap the contracts of 142 employees by Oct. 8 as part of cost-cutting measures. Article content The federal department confirmed the workers impacted have term, casual, part-time and secondment agreements. Article content Article content 'Exceptions to the new measure will be made only where essential to avoid significant impacts on the delivery of a program or service to Canadians, such as for the upcoming Census of Population and certain critical data collection roles,' said Jada Cormier, a spokesperson for Statistics Canada said, in an emailed statement. Article content Article content Some student hirings will continue at Statistics Canada 'in areas facing workforce gaps,' Cormier added. Article content Article content Other departments and agencies in the federal public service continue to bleed temporary workers as public service leadership scrambles to find savings. Article content Over the past year, thousands of temporary workers at the Canada Revenue Agency and Immigration, Citizenship and Refugee Canada have had their contracts ended as the federal government has tried to rein in the size of its workforce. Article content The federal public service ballooned to 367,772 individuals in 2024, from 257,034 in 2015. Last year, the public service saw a reduction of almost 10,000 jobs, according to the latest Treasury Board data. Article content Under Prime Minister Mark Carney, the federal government is set to launch a three year spending review, seeking to cut up to 15 per cent across most departments, agencies and crown corporations. Article content The review involves a 7.5 per cent cut in 2025-26, 2.5 per cent in 2026-27 and 5 per cent in the 2027-28 fiscal year. Article content
