Danielle Smith on separation referendum talk: ‘I got a mandate to try to fix Canada’

If Albertans want to vote on leaving Canada, Premier Danielle Smith says she will not be the one leading that charge.

Two weeks after threatening an “unprecedented national unity crisis” if the next prime minister doesn’t follow nine policy demands, Smith backed away from a separation referendum at a Tuesday press conference in southern Alberta.

“I got a mandate to fix Canada,” Smith said. “I got a mandate to try to make Canada work and that’s what I’ve been working toward relentlessly for the last two-and-a-half years.”

But Smith pointed out that Alberta does have a mechanism for citizen-led referenda and is promising a panel to gauge what Albertans want to do after this month’s federal election.

READ: Feds must meet Alberta energy demands to avoid ‘national crisis,’ Smith says after meeting Carney

Polls show the Liberals are heavily favoured to again form government in Ottawa.

“The premier is playing fast and loose with the concept of separation,” Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi told CityNews in a statement. “It’s dangerous talk and she clearly has no idea what she’s doing or what Albertans actually want.”

CityNews spoke to some Albertans to get a sense of how they feel about separation.

“No, nobody wants it,” said Edmonton’s Marilyn Jeske. “It’s a waste of money to even ask the question and set that all up. Nobody wants it.”

“Alberta should not leave Canada,” added Edmontonian Trent Oster.

“It’s a complete waste of time,” said Aaron Wilson, who lives in Sherwood Park. “It would spectacularly fail, fortunately, because there’s more sentient thinking people in Alberta than the fringe element that would actually find that appealing.”

Political scientist Lori Williams thinks Smith would be better off with a diplomatic approach to domestic relations, especially considering Liberal Leader Mark Carney and some Canadian premiers have recently expressed increased support for new pipelines and trade corridors.

RELATED: Alberta government welcomes ‘national conversation’ on energy corridor

“Threatening a national unity crisis and insisting on your way and not being willing to compromise, that might play well with some within Alberta,” said Williams of Mount Royal University. “But most Albertans, just like most Canadians right now, have experienced this surge in national unity.”

Although there are signs some in Alberta would like to bail on Canada, a recent Léger poll found just 15 per cent want to take Donald Trump up on his offer to join the United States.