In a press release, conservative leadership candidate Travis Toews called out his rival, UCP leadership candidate Danielle Smith about wanting to enact the Alberta Sovereignty Act. 

"Danielle Smith’s proposed Sovereignty Act characterized as unconstitutional and unenforceable and at worst, a disaster and a dead end; are neither real nor strategic." 

In a previous interview with DiscoverAirdrie, Smith explained why she thinks enacting the Alberta Sovereignty Act is the right thing to do. 

“I think that we've had a constitutional crisis since November of 2015, where we have seen that the federal government has essentially told us that they're imposing economic sanctions on our province, they have refused to approve pipeline projects, they've cancelled pipeline projects that had already been approved, they've created so much uncertainty that businesses have pulled the plug, after not being able to see a pathway through to get approval. We've got to assert that they can't keep doing this to us.”  

But according to Toews enacting the Sovereignty Act would require plenty of illegal activity. 

"With even a cursory closer look, the act, as initially outlined last fall as part of the Free Alberta Strategy, relies on individual Albertans en masse to break the law at great personal legal risk. It demands that people and businesses shelter all assets in new Alberta banks to escape federal enforcement from their illegal activities. Smith has not clarified how much of this proposal she endorses, but one of the original authors is her campaign chair." 

Toews went on to say within their plan, the authors disclose that their proposal can’t insulate “those individuals or businesses (who) continue to entrust their financial assets to federally regulated banks.” They openly admit that, for any Albertans or Alberta businesses who aren’t willing to cut all financial ties to the rest of Canada, especially in banking, this plan to defy numerous federal laws simply won’t work. 

"Does anyone really believe that Alberta corporations are willing to openly break federal law and hope to avoid the legal and financial ramifications that bring? Or to cease operating with mainstream Canadian financial institutions? Absolutely not. The Sovereignty Act would, without a doubt, curtail new investment into the province. Not only that, we would see established businesses abandoning Alberta for more stable jurisdiction." 

Toews finished off by saying The Sovereignty Act would derail the province’s economic recovery.

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