Premier Smith Says Alberta-Quebec Cooperation Key for AI Race Against China
Udumbara
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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her province and Quebec can play a key role in helping democratic nations win the artificial intelligence (AI) race against Beijing by partnering to build data centres in Quebec powered by natural gas from Alberta.
The premier said the AI race is moving quickly, with China building “massive coal plants on spec, knowing they will need the power to power AI data centres.” She said Quebec could avoid waiting “10 or 20 years” for new hydro or nuclear plants by using Alberta natural gas to help set up data centres in under five years, and later expand them using other energy sources if desired.
“I don’t think we can afford to wait on this—certainly China is not waiting,” Smith said. “Do we want China to win that race or do we want a free society like we have in North America to win that race?
“I know which side I want to win that race, but if we don’t understand and come to grips with the fact that we have to be energy-abundant in order to be able to support that development, we are going to continue to fall behind.”
She said Alberta can help Quebec advance its data centre development, noting her province’s “near limitless” supply of natural gas and cold-weather conditions that support efficient cooling for AI infrastructure. “There are so many reasons for Quebec and Alberta to partner on that,” she said.
Smith also said her province has been committed to reducing emissions, and that meeting emission goals doesn’t necessarily mean phasing out oil and gas.
“That’s the value proposition that I think we are trying to have the world understand,” she said. “We are transitioning away from emissions—we are not transitioning away from oil and gas production.”
“Make no mistake, China is a totalitarian communist regime. If they win the AI war, then it’s going to be changing the planet,” Smith said during a Jan. 25 episode of her phone-in radio show, Your Province, Your Premier.
Alberta-Quebec Collaboration
During her Oct. 6 address in Montreal, Smith called for collaboration between Alberta and Quebec to boost both economies by reducing trade barriers and advancing “nation-building” infrastructure and resource projects.She said that, in addition to having common economic priorities, the two provinces share a need to “protect” themselves from federal overreach.
“Alberta and Quebec frequently lament Ottawa’s failure to respect provincial jurisdiction,” Smith said. “Both continually strive to protect provincial jurisdiction, and this is why Alberta is urgently calling for a repeal or substantial amendment of various federal laws and regulations.”
The premier expanded on what she calls the “nine bad laws,” a set of federal policies she has urged Ottawa to repeal or amend, arguing they hinder Alberta’s energy production and, in turn, limit Canada’s ability to reach its full potential. Those policies include the Impact Assessment Act, the oil and gas emissions cap, and the tanker ban off British Columbia’s north coast.
Smith said interprovincial partnership is essential to Canada’s prosperity, particularly amid ongoing trade uncertainty with the United States, the country’s largest trading partner.
“We all have to come together to create a Canada that is stronger and more united than ever,” she said.
“That begins by strengthening the ties between our provinces and territories, between Alberta and Quebec, and between West and East, because unity makes strength.”
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