Good morning everyone. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was quick to congratulate Prime Minister Mark Carney after his federal election win on Monday. But it didn’t take long for the Alberta vs Ottawa sentiment to quickly creep back to the top of the agenda – now with a dash of separatism. “A large majority of Albertans are deeply frustrated that the same government that overtly attacked our provincial economy almost unabated for the past 10 years has been returned to government,” Smith said in her congratulatory statement. “As Premier, I will not permit the status quo to continue.” Then on Tuesday, the United Conservative government tabled a bill making it easier for residents to force a provincial referendum. While Smith insists she is “Team Canada,” and that she would not push for a vote on separation, she has been fanning the flames of a growing faction of disgruntled Albertans who are looking to leave Canada. The Premier, in March, threatened a national unity crisis unless Canada‘s next Prime Minister implements her policy wish list. And after Carney’s victory, she says she will ask him to pursue energy policies friendly to Alberta and the oil and gas industry. “His mandate comes from moderate voters who actually want this province to be a genuine energy superpower, and for the country to be a genuine energy superpower,” Smith said. But it’s the growing rumblings of separation that have dominated the conversation postelection. The bill introduced Tuesday revealed a number of changes to acts governing democracy and election financing in the province. This included lowering the number of eligible signatures necessary to trigger a referendum or recall a politician, and extending the time frame in which the names must be collected. The party is also planning to hold a “special caucus meeting” on Friday to discuss the province’s future under another Liberal government. Cameron Davies, a conservative strategist who recently abandoned the UCP and now leads the Republican Party of Alberta, says the path forward is a government-led, binding referendum on independence. He says separation is a growing movement in Alberta, and a referendum would be a much more effective way to deal with Ottawa overreach. ----------------------- Meanwhile, the controversy around health care contracting remains a major thorn in the side of the government. On Thursday, The Globe and Mail reported that Alberta’s Justice Minister is a long-time friend and relative through marriage of a man whose companies’ business dealings with the province’s health authority are now part of multiple investigations. Justice Minister Mickey Amery spoke with The Globe’s Carrie Tait last week, when he said he and Sam Mraiche have been friends for “a very long time” and that they are “loosely related” through marriage. Mraiche’s companies are tied to the government’s $70-million deal to import children’s medication from Turkey and contracts signed with private surgical facilities. There are several current investigations into those deals, including by the province’s Auditor-General and the RCMP. Amery is the province’s top lawyer, and his department would have some involvement in the investigations and a lawsuit connected to the health authority. Amery says there was no conflict of interest. “We all have our personal relationships,” he said. He said he has neither a business nor professional relationship with Mraiche. Mraiche, through his lawyer, confirmed that he and Amery are friends, but said there is no business relationship. “Mr. Mraiche has never had any dealings with Alberta’s Ministry of Justice – business or otherwise," his attorney Scott Hutchison said in a statement. “Mr. Mraiche has always conducted himself appropriately in all his dealings with Mr. Amery and any other public officeholder, past or present.” ---------------------------------------- We want to hear from you The average age of the Ontario first time home buyer is rising. Are you an Alberta resident in your late 30s or 40s who recently purchased your first home? We’re working on a story about home ownership and would love to hear from you, in particular if you are also a recent immigrant or newcomer. Email Globe editor Roma Luciw or journalist Zahra Khozema to share your experience. This is the weekly Alberta newsletter written by Alberta Bureau Chief Mark Iype. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for it and all Globe newsletters here.