An ideological agenda can be dangerous unless, of course, it happens to be your own.
That seems to be the approach the provincial government is taking after introducing legislation last week that requires cities, towns, post-secondary institutions and many other entities to obtain provincial approval before striking funding deals with the federal government.
The Provincial Priorities Act is intended to push back against what’s considered overreach by Ottawa, ensuring that projects or programs funded by the feds are aligned with Alberta priorities.
Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservatives don’t want the federal government to impose its ideological agenda, insisting money should come without any strings attached, yet by introducing the bill, her government is doing exactly that. Projects that local governments or other entities see as beneficial could lose federal funding if they don't align with provincial priorities.
This gatekeeping legislation adds red tape, which ironically the province is looking to reduce on many fronts, and will almost certainly delay certain projects, but the biggest concern is that it could put millions, even billions, of federal funding for local governments and others at risk.
It should be noted that the Provincial Priorities Act will only impact a relatively small number of agreements, so the vast majority of federal funding won’t be impeded, the legislation saved for those subjects, like net zero housing or the safe supply of opioids, where the two jurisdictions have differing approaches.
The premier contends Ottawa is manipulating municipalities with funding to further its agenda on certain issues, seemingly oblivious to the fact that her government is doing the very same thing.
At the end of the day, both governments need to give municipalities the autonomy to make decisions that are in the best interests of their constituents, leaving it up to civic politicians to determine what priorities should be embraced at the local level.
