‘Great sense of responsibility’: Edmonton’s Olszewski goes from political abyss to Carney’s cabinet

Just a few months ago, Eleanor Olszewski was set to run again as a federal Liberal candidate in Edmonton Strathcona. She’d run in the NDP stronghold before and lost.

She was expected to lose again and go back to her job as a lawyer.

Fast forward to the present, and Olszewski is the lone Alberta MP to be in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet. She’s a prime example of how politics can change in a very short period of time.

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When Randy Boissonnault announced he would not stand for reelection in Edmonton Centre, the party asked Olszewski to move from Strathcona to a riding in which the Liberals had a much better chance to win. She became the only Liberal to win a seat in the Edmonton area.

With Carney needing to show that he’s serious about national unity, and having a cabinet filled with ministers from across the country, Olszewski found herself in pole position for a minister’s job. Five days before the swearing-in ceremony, she found out she was going to be the minister of emergency management and community resilience, and will also oversee Prairies Economic Development Canada.

Lone Alberta Liberal cabinet minister

There’s no understating the importance of being the lone Alberta Liberal cabinet minister. Olszewski has to represent the interests of a province which has filed numerous court challenges against the federal government, and where the spectre of a separation referendum in 2026 has the country as a whole talking about national unity. Meanwhile, Canada is under threat from the protectionist policies of U.S. President Donald Trump.

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Despite the political gulf between the provincial Conservatives and the federal Liberals, there is one thing on which Olszewski and Premier Danielle Smith can agree — that the relationship between Ottawa and Alberta needs a reset. But where they differ is how to best achieve that goal. Smith does so with bluster and through the courts. Olszewski believes it can be best achieved by the two parties sitting down and being willing partners rather than adversaries.

“It’s an incredible honour to be chosen to represent Alberta in cabinet,” she said. “It’s a role that I do not take lightly. It comes with a great sense of responsibility. I want to be a strong voice for Alberta. I want to move forward with respect to the relationship between Alberta and the federal government, and to show Albertans that the relationship can be based on respect and collaboration.”

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Emergency management role

Her portfolio puts in her in charge of a ministry that Canadians hope they never need to access. Emergency management puts her in charge of a department that responds to natural disasters from coast to coast. And, living in a province where forest fires have become the new normal, it is a department she feels is of prime importance to Albertans.

There were squabbles between the federal government and the province when it came to supporting Jasper in the wake of the wildfires that destroyed more than 350 structures in the townsite in July 2024. In fact, the province, at one point, threatened to pull $112 million in recovery funding because of Ottawa’s push for high-density housing to be part of Jasper’s rebuild.  In February, Ottawa announced it had committed $160 million to Jasper’s recovery, and there was $9.4 million in the Housing Accelerator Fund to build 505 multi-family homes over the next decade.

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Michael Fark was in charge of Jasper’s recovery plan until he took leave to run for the Liberals in the Yellowhead riding, and lost. Fark said getting the feds and the province on the same page “was a challenge,” but acknowledged that, overall, “there was very good support from all levels.”

Olszewski said her ministry will be ready for the next fire.

“This is a role that will allow me to be very involved in the relationship between Alberta and the rest of the country. In the case of floods and fires, which is of interest to Alberta, of course the first response is from local authorities, but they can count on the federal government to step in. We’re expecting another hot, dry summer in Alberta, and it’s essential to protect our families and our property.

“There needs to be real co-operation, and I think of the fires in Jasper, where we saw very strong collaboration between the federal government and the province.”

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Economic development

In her second role, she will oversee Prairies Economic Development, which she says will help businesses in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba be more sustainable, and will aid in diversification efforts. But it also gives her the chance to talk to business owners across Canada’s spine.

“It also gives me a chance to be a strong voice for the prairie business perspective, and I can take that voice back to Ottawa.”

Throughout the election campaign, Carney spoke of the need to think of Canada as one large economy, rather than 13 provincial and territorial economies. He said it is time to end regional trade barriers. Olszewski echoes that. She said Alberta needs to be part of a strong, singular Canadian economy.

“I think what Mark Carney has said is important for Alberta, as well. I think it’s imperative that we have an ambitious plan to put Canada’s interests first, and that this is based on respect. It’s a responsibility of the federal government to put the Prairies at the heart of Canada’s economic future.”

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Separatist question

And, if there is a separatist question on an Alberta referendum ballot in 2026, Olszewski would expect the answer to be “no” based on what she saw in the election campaign. She agrees that the relationship between Alberta and Ottawa needs to be re-made, but it needs to be done in the spirit of respect, not hostility.

“I knocked on thousands of doors during the campaign, and I can tell you, no one asked at the door about the issue of separatism. I do understand that there are tensions between Alberta and the federal government. And my first order of business is to help establish a new relationship between Alberta and the rest of Canada.”

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