Federal ministers flocked to Alberta on Wednesday ahead of a cabinet retreat in Banff, but not before making a series of funding announcements across the province. Such announcements include funding toward the National School Food Program, Alberta skilled trades workforce, and REACH Edmonton. On Tuesday both federal and provincial governments announced a partnership to build 1,460 affordable housing units across Alberta. “The timing is not a surprise,” said Duane Bratt, political scientist at Mount Royal University, pointing to other instances where Ottawa has shown a heavy presence in Alberta such as the Calgary Stampede in 2025 and 2026. “This has been Carney’s negotiation strategy … It’s to make a case for Canada with these announcements, with working together.” While in the midst of a trade war with the U.S., federal finance minister Francois-Philippe Champagne was in Edmonton speaking on tariffs. “This is a time to unite. This is a time to support each other,” Champagne told reporters. “The world is not waiting for us to do what needs to be done to capture the opportunities … Let’s focus on what is going to build us strong.” Evan Solomon, Canada’s Minister of AI and Digital Innovation, was also one of six federal ministers in the capital region and central Alberta Wednesday. “We are making long-term commitments,” said Solomon after announcing Canada’s National AI Literacy Initiative. “This is a partnership that is long-term because of excellence. It’s merit. That is the Alberta way.” Bratt says polls are showing Prime Minister Mark Carney as the most popular politician in the province, despite not representing an Alberta riding. “People like Mark Carney. The separatists don’t, but everybody else does. He has huge approval ratings,” said Bratt. “Based on the polls that I have seen, if there was an election here today, the Liberals would win a lot more seats, primarily in the cities.” Albertans will line up at the polls to answer 10 referendum questions ranging from immigration to separation on Oct. 19. Advanced polls will be open from Oct. 13 to 17. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Chelan Skulski
