Bell: Nenshi NDPer accuses Nenshi of being 'Trudeau's pick for Alberta'

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What?

What did the Prime Minister say?

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I had to ask Prime Minister Daniel Smith.

After all, former Calgary mayor and now NDP leadership hopeful Naheed Nenshi is seen by several in this province as the messiah who will return the Alberta NDP to the political promise land.

When Nenshi launched his campaign as Alberta's new NDP numero uno, he said the only thing he knew how to do when the Smith government was “incompetent” and “dangerous” and “corrupt” was to fight and waste money.

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Here's Smith going head-to-head with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, not for the first time.

It's a fight Smith says he's not looking for, but points to Trudeau punching Premier Alberta in the nose, and he punches and punches back until the Premier gets justice for Alberta.

Now Smith is enshrining the law, and any money deals the Trudeau government wants to make with cities and other local governments will need the support of his UCP government.

Smith said there are agreements where Trudeau is clearly pushing his agenda, and the agenda is at odds with the Alberta government's plans for the province.

In other words, Smith believes Trudeau should go about his business.

Back to Nenshi.

How does Smith respond to Nenshi's choice of a fight?

“Well, someone who was Trudeau's choice for Alberta might say that,” said Smith, who declined to name Nenshi.

“I'm not here to be Trudeau's pick for Alberta.”

Smith says his job is to put the interests of the province first.

“I will continue to work to make sure I put Albertans first.”

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Some in the UCP world are calling Nenshi “Trudeau's pick for Alberta.”

This seems to be how Smith's supporters cast Nenshi.

If Nenshi wins the NDP leadership in Alberta, the smart money bets will hear a line linking him to Trudeau and the Liberals.

After all, the UCP believes the former mayor has more baggage than the party crew heading for the all-inclusive getaway in Margaritaville, and enough connections with the Liberals to secure the tag.

To be fair, Nenshi was asked if he wanted to respond to the idea of ​​Trudeau being a man, but he said he was “not offended” by what Smith said.

But in the legislative body, it's a different story.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley accuses Smith of “declaring war on federal dollars spent here.”

“Why does he think Albertans need to be protected from their tax dollars?”

Smith is open to more contact with Ottawa.

“I think this question may have been asked by their federal leader Jagmeet Singh,” replied the Prime Minister.

Smith says he will fight for justice.

Notley quotes from your humble scribbler's interview with Smith, the part where Prime Minister Trudeau talks about the punch and his punch.

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Notley says Smith and the UCP have “nothing to show for this ongoing petty political outrage”.

“Why is he making Albertans pay for his failed partisan political tantrums?” – asks the leader of the People's Democratic Party.

Smith isn't backing down.

He accuses the NDP of having a “defeatist attitude” and following and accepting instructions from federal NDP leader Singh, while the premier vowed to challenge the federal “Liberal-NDP coalition.”

Earlier in the day, Smith once again said he wanted to be treated like Quebec.

When the federal program is launched, Quebec says they won't follow Ottawa's rules “like clockwork” and they just want the money.

“They always get it,” Smith says.

“We're doing what Quebec is doing.”

Albertans, he said, are not interested in “goodwill signaling from Ottawa” and any dollars to go that route.

“Albertans don't want federal funding to show the world how good we are or polish Canada's halo internationally,” says Smith.

“We know that the federal government takes a completely different view of what we want to do on certain issues.”

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Smith is “deeply concerned” about any “ideological injection” deals Trudeau is dealing with, which could lead to new homes not being connected to natural gas or banning the use of gas stoves and gas fireplaces.

Or Trudeau insists cities change their districts if they want the carrot of the Ottawa dollar.

Or anything related to providing safe medication, in Smith's words, BC nurses are expected to burst pipes for patients in hospitals.

The premier said he wants the Trudeau government to give Alberta the money the province is entitled to, much of that coin coming from Alberta taxpayers.

Finally, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said Smith is leading a “provincial government with oversight issues.”

Yes, spring is here and the temperature is rising.

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