The premiers of Canada's 13 provinces and territories, which together comprise the Council of the Federation, will convene on Monday to discuss the deepening estrangement among them and the challenges in energy sector, among other things
MOSCOW/WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2019) The premiers of Canada's 13 provinces and territories, which together comprise the Council of the Federation, will convene on Monday to discuss the deepening estrangement among them and the challenges in energy sector, among other things.
The Council brings together Scott Moe of Saskatchewan, Doug Ford of Ontario, Francois Legault of Quebec, Stephen McNeil of Nova Scotia, Blaine Higgs of New Brunswick, Brian Pallister of Manitoba, John Horgan of British Columbia, Dennis King of Prince Edward Island, Jason Kenney of Alberta, Dwight Ball of Newfoundland and Labrador, Caroline Cochrane of Northwest Territories, Sandy Silver of Yukon, and Joe Savikataaq of Nunavut. The meeting will be chaired by Saskatchewan's Moe.
The overarching theme of this meeting sets it apart from the ones previous years - for the first time in decades, the premiers will discuss the lack of unity among Canada's provinces. The sovereignty movements and nationalist sentiments in the western provinces have even gave way to the "Wexit" discourse.
In particular, the controversial Bill 21 is expected to be at core of the discussion. Passed in June, this legislation prohibits public-sector workers from donning religious symbols at work. The bill has elicited widespread condemnation across the nation, and Manitoba's government has gone so far as to offer Quebecers affected by the law to relocate to the Prairie province, and will undoubtedly be sticking point during the meetings.
The biggest issue on the agenda by far will be pipelines and the growing discontent in western Canada by the energy policies of the Federal government. Especially in Alberta, many see the government's failure to support the local oil industry amid plummeting prices as a deliberate effort to undermine their economic engine.
The discussion is also expected to feature the topic of environment, inherently linked to the oil-related economic goals.
The Council was established in 2003 as a platform for all Canadian provinces and territories to promote cooperation among each other and vis-a-vis the federal government.
