In first Alberta campaign stop, Carney promises 'new clean energy era'

Liberal Leader Mark Carney pitched Alberta as the heart of a new superpower in both clean and conventional energy Tuesday night as part of his first campaign stop in the province.

"I thought I was in Calgary," Carney said of the reception from the crowd of more than 1,000 that had gathered at the Red & White Club at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, the home of the CFL's Calgary Stampeders.

"This is amazing!"

Party organizers claimed around 2,300 people had shown up to the event, while around 3,000 had RSVP'd. Speakers were set up outside the venue for those who couldn't make it inside.

Alberta has largely gone reliably to the Conservative Party in past federal elections and is a safe bet to continue that trend.

However, polling averages calculated by CBC's Poll Tracker suggests Liberal support in Alberta has doubled since 2021 (mostly at the expense of the federal NDP). The Liberals had two seats in the province when Parliament was dissolved.

Before the event began, supporters wearing Team Canada jerseys snaked around the building. One man sported a "Canada is not for sale" hat, popularized by Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

"I've been a lifelong conservative voter until now," said Don Franklin, who was in line wearing an "Elbows Up" T-shirt. "I'm motivated this year to show my support for the Liberals. I actually joined the Liberal Party this year, my first time."

Many expressed that Carney was, in their view, best positioned to take on U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats. Others standing in line voiced concern around affordability, housing, the environment and the need for balanced energy policy.

Tasnuva Hayden, an electrical engineer who works in the oil and gas industry, said she has always been for an east-west pipeline, but also said she is ready for the energy transition.

"I hope that, yes, we build more pipelines to get our product to international markets that are not the U.S., but at the same time … we really do need to get on to the energy transition now," she said. "We are going to be left behind."

Pollster Janet Brown believes there are four ridings in Calgary where Liberal prospects are good — Calgary Centre, Calgary Confederation, Calgary McKnight and Calgary Skyview.

"However, since 'Liberation Day' some polls are showing a softening of the Liberal numbers, suggesting that as fear of Trump softens, so do the Liberal numbers," Brown said in an email to CBC News.

Carney highlights Alberta ties

During his speech, Carney emphasized his ties to Alberta, long a Conservative stronghold in federal elections. Calgary is the hometown of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

Carney was born in Fort Smith, N.W.T, and grew up and went to high school in Edmonton, where he launched his campaign for the Liberal Party leadership in January.

"When I was born just north of Fort Mac, the oilsands were called the tar sands, and the idea was just a dream," he said. 

"But the combination of the ingenuity of Alberta-based scientists, the drive of Alberta entrepreneurs, the support of the provincial and federal governments, created a powerful industry that has enriched all of Canada."

That same partnership, Carney said, could usher in a "new clean energy era."

"The world needs that leadership," he said, adding that his plan is to build an "energy superpower in both clean and conventional."

"My government will work with Indigenous peoples, with the provinces, and with the private sector to fast-track projects that build our energy security by displacing foreign suppliers such as the United States," Carney said.

"Projects that diversify our export markets, so we rely less on the United States, and projects that enhance our long-term competitiveness, including with low-carbon oil and gas. I know that Alberta will be at the heart of all of these solutions."

Complicated relationship

Carney's appearance in the province came one day after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith accused Carney of having issues with strong conservative women.

On Sunday, during a rally in Victoria, Carney joked it would be a "bad idea" to send Smith to U.S. media outlet Fox News to advocate against tariffs. 

The Liberal Party has recently highlighted Smith's comments to the right-wing U.S. outlet Breitbart News, in which she suggested that the Conservative leader was "in sync" with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.

In response to Carney's comments, Smith said Monday that "progressive men" talk about "how much they support women, until they meet a strong conservative woman."

"The attitude is, 'Sit down and shut up.' Well, I don't shut up. I make sure that Albertans know exactly how I feel about issues and I'm going to continue advocating for my province whether [Carney] likes it or not," she said.

Contention between Alberta and Ottawa, of course, long pre-dates the latest back-and-forth between Smith and Carney, particularly when it comes to energy and climate policy. 

Smith has threatened a series of responses should the Liberals win the election, including taking cues from Quebec on provincial sovereignty or forming a second "Fair Deal" panel if Ottawa does not meet a list of demands.

Whether or not a Liberal win really would lead to an "national unity crisis," as the premier has suggested, there are a lot of Albertans who don't think that Alberta is being treated fairly in federation, said Lori Williams, associate professor of policy studies at Mount Royal University.

"Mark Carney … if he wins the next election, will have to address that. He will have to try to reach out and connect with Albertans and address some of their concerns," Williams said.

Some of those concerns revolve around emissions caps and pipelines, Williams noted. 

"It's things like that that the federal government can do something about, but there are also limits. And some of the demands Danielle Smith has made cannot be provided by the federal government alone," Williams said.

The rally comes one day after Poilievre drew an estimated 12,000 people into an industrial warehouse south of Edmonton, where former Prime Minister Stephen Harper praised Poilievre's political experience.