‘It’s not a pipeline issue’: Alberta’s lone Liberal cabinet minister says western alienation runs deep

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Details finalizing that agreement, including setting a deadline for Ottawa to declare Alberta’s pipeline proposal to be in the “national interest” just weeks ahead of October’s referendum vote, were announced days before Smith officially put the independence question on the ballot.

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In her view, Olszewski sees the separatist challenge as something much deeper than what can be addressed with one pipeline project.

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“It’s not a pipeline issue.”

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When it comes to feelings of western alienation, a sentiment that has defined for generations how many Albertans perceive their treatment by Ottawa, she believes it not something those living elsewhere understand.

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“You need to have lived in Alberta, and have talked to a lot of Albertans to help understand,” she says, describing it as a sense of feeling disrespected by the federal government and other Canadians, a sentiment that has hit peaks and valleys over the province’s history.

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While prime ministers and federal cabinet ministers usually make the trek annually to flip pancakes and shake hands at Calgary Stampede, the province’s biggest tourist draw outside of the Canadian Rockies, Olszewski says she plans to travel the province between now and the October 19 referendum to speak to as many Albertans as possible.

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Her stops will include the province’s smaller centres “not just Edmonton and Calgary.”

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Olszewski says her portfolio has already taken her to Alberta cities like Red Deer, her hometown of Medicine Hat, Camrose and Airdrie, a booming community on Calgary’s suburban outskirts.

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She plans to expand from there, saying “it’s my feeling that it’s even more important to do that now.”

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Olszewski unsuccessfully ran as a Liberal candidate several times before stepping into Edmonton Centre in last year’s election when former Liberal cabinet minister Randy Boissonneault declined to run after facing accusations of misrepresenting an Aboriginal heritage, including with a company he co-owned that won contracts from the government.

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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, left, and Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada Eleanor Olszewski show Team Canada unity at a World Cup of Hockey 2028 announcement on March 16, 2026. Photo by David Bloom/Postmedia

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Today, she says her advice for those living in Central Canada is to take the issue of the referendum seriously and make an effort to listen to Albertans.

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“I think that’s fundamentally important.”

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Former provincial and federal conservative cabinet ministers who have represented Alberta and have begun organizing to campaign for the “stay” side of the referendum vote have called for a show of support from leaders.

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Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who himself represents the rural Alberta riding of Battle River–Crowfoot, this week delivered a speech in Calgary outlining his pitch for national unity. He promised to speak to those “on both sides of this referendum,” and warning federalists not to engage in “name-calling” or “fearmongering,” warning it would do nothing to aide efforts to convince those who want to leave to decide to stay.

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Asked how effective the voice of Liberal cabinet minister from Edmonton will be with those who want to separate in the conservative-blue province,  Olszewski says “it’s a really good question.”

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While there will be people who have already made up their minds about the vote, she nevertheless believes it is important to show up to talk and answer questions and, also, just listen.

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She said she thinks Liberals haven’t always done that.

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“Sometimes I do think we could have done a better job,” she said.

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