Overview

• Rona Ambrose told a Calgary panel that secessionist sentiment in Alberta and Saskatchewan can dissipate quickly if Ottawa tackles long-standing complaints over oilpatch regulations
• She urged the prime minister to mend a decade-old east-west rift by strengthening federal-provincial trust through outreach on energy policies
• Premier Danielle Smith’s Bill 54, which would lower the threshold for citizen-led referendums and pave the way for a potential 2026 independence vote, is advancing in the legislature
• Cenovus Energy CEO Jon McKenzie said the separatist movement is rooted in genuine, long-held frustrations with federal environmental rules
• Atco Ltd. CEO Nancy Southern warned that Asian partners in a major hydrogen project are delaying final investment commitments until Alberta’s political path is clarified