"Western Canada's Political Tensions Rise Amidst Gas Prices and Election Results"

The United Conservative Party, led by Danielle Smith, won re-election in Alberta, Canada, against the Left-wing opposition, the New Democratic Party. Smith and her party have openly flirted with separatist and sovereigntist sentiments, something unheard of for a provincial government outside of Quebec. Though it remains a minority stance in the province, Smith's policy priorities, including an independent Alberta police force, an Alberta Pension Plan, and upholding the "Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act," could lead to an increasingly functionally separate existence for the province.