OTTAWA — Eleanor Olszewski jokes that, like most good Albertans, she originally comes from Saskatchewan. Born in Swift Current, Sask., Olszewski called the small city home for only a couple of years. Her family moved to Medicine Hat, Alta., where she was raised, before leaving for Edmonton to attend university, achieving degrees first in pharmacy and then later law, eventually settling down to raise her own two children in the provincial capital.
A Deeper Divide
Now serving as federal minister for emergency management, the MP for Edmonton Centre is bracing for another wildfire season, one that she comments has so far been quiet, but expects to see light up with alerts come July. There is another fire smouldering in the meantime that Olszewski, the lone minister representing Alberta around the cabinet table, is focused on: that of calls coming from separatists for Alberta to leave the country. With pressure from sovereigntists building, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has added to a set of provincial referendums this fall a question asking Albertans whether they wish to stay in Canada, or begin the formal process of holding a binding vote on independence.
Disappointment in Referendum Decision
“Honestly, I’m disappointed in the premier’s decision to put this question, this particular referendum question on a ballot,” Olszewski told National Post in an interview this week. She said citizens are already facing too much uncertainty coming from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and wider global disruptions. “This is not the time to be dividing Canadians, or to be … putting a choice to Albertans.”
“Honestly, out of all the times in our history … it’s not the time,” Olszewski says. “This is a time for unity.”
She acknowledges that she has yet to tell the premier her personal feelings on the matter.
Understanding Western Alienation
Olszewski emphasized that the issue goes beyond pipelines or specific policies. “It’s not a pipeline issue,” she said. “You need to have lived in Alberta, and have talked to a lot of Albertans to help understand.” She described western alienation as a deep-seated feeling of being misunderstood and undervalued by the federal government, which has been building for decades. This sentiment, she argued, cannot be resolved simply by building a pipeline or adjusting a tax rate.
The referendum question has triggered what Olszewski describes as an offering of support from her colleagues to assist, including offers to come to Alberta. She says Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was raised in Edmonton, is “very engaged in this issue.” She suggests that the prime minister’s upbringing and connection to the province, having mentioned in past speeches major milestones in the development of Alberta’s oil industry, means that Carney understands Albertans, “maybe more than other people do.”
Carney-Smith Relationship
Smith herself has complimented Carney for his efforts to improve relations with the province and embrace a more co-operative style of federalism than seen under his predecessor, former prime minister Justin Trudeau, whose energy policies drove much of the anger towards Ottawa and helped fuel the power of the separatist movement. The centrepiece of Carney and Smith’s attempt to reset the Ottawa-Alberta relationship is the deal the pair struck aimed at getting a new oil pipeline from the oilsands to the West Coast in exchange for Alberta, the country’s largest oil-producing province, increasing its industrial carbon tax.
Olszewski remains hopeful that dialogue and understanding can bridge the divide. “We need to listen to each other, not just talk past each other,” she said. “Albertans have legitimate concerns, and it’s our job to address them, not dismiss them.”
