Alberta has passed a controversial “sovereignty act” that could allow the province to ignore federal laws, setting the stage for a combative relationship with the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, and tense relations with Indigenous leaders.
Shortly after midnight on Thursday, the governing United Conservative party passed Bill 1, the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act, after weeks of criticism over the proposed law – and only after stripping away a contentious provision that would have allowed the provincial cabinet the power to bypass the legislature and rewrite laws.
