Jason Kenney, who will take office as Alberta's Premier at the end of this month, says he hopes to bring the country's conservative Premiers together to defeat Justin Trudeau's Liberal government at the federal election this fall.
But the former federal cabinet minister has made clear that one of the country's most prominent conservative Premiers won't be invited to his new club, because he cares too much about the environment.
It seems few opposition MNAs would agree with Kenney's characterization of François Legault, but the Alberta Premier-designate has already made an enemy of Quebec's Premier after Legault told Kenney he will not allow an oil pipeline through the province.
That means that the CAQ government can't be counted on in Kenney's quest to oust the federal Liberals from power in a "pro-energy, pro-pipeline" interprovincial coalition. He's instead relying on Ontario and New Brunswick's Progressive Conservative governments, which both concluded carbon taxes in their provinces shortly after taking power last year, and conservative governments in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, who have similarly refused to price carbon.
Kenney said it is "not fair" for Quebec to receive equalization payments while opposing an oil pipeline.
"What we have learned from Quebec is that [the equalization payment system] is the squeaky wheel that gets greased in the Canadian federation. If we can not receive a fair price for our energy, we will defend our fight for equity," he told CTV.
Equalization payments are a federally-administered system of ensuring provinces have enough money to pay for social programs like healthcare. Kenney has often painted the system as Alberta giving money directly to other provinces and getting nothing in return, which is not the case.
Legault, critically, has also not opposed all pipeline projects in Quebec, but only those that carry raw bitumen from Alberta's oilsands. The Quebec Premier has indicated several times his interest in instead building a pipeline to carry liquid natural gas (LNG) through the province.
With files from CTV's Question Period and the Canadian Press.