Alberta Premier Rachel Notley wants to work collaboratively with Trudeau

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says she looks forward to working "collaboratively" with prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau.

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Trudeau led the Liberals to a majority government Monday, ending the Conservatives' decade in power. Notley said she had a brief conversation with him last night. 

"In the coming months and the coming years, there are a number of key issues that we need to work on together," she said, listing climate change, infrastructure, health care and a renewed relationship with indigenous people as priorities. 

Notley said she looked forward to a "renewed" relationship between the premiers and the federal government, something she discussed with Trudeau in their call last night. 

On the climate change file, Notley said her officials will reach out to the new federal government prior to the United Nations conference in Paris at the end of November. 

She also plans to discuss pipelines with Trudeau and suggested he agrees "in principle" with the projects she favours, like Energy East and Trans Mountain. 

Notley said one of her infrastructure priorities is ensuring the province receives money for southern Alberta flood mitigation. 

"Without question they will be hearing about flood mitigation very quickly," she said. "It's not the kind of thing you want to wait on." 

No NDP gains in Alberta 

Notley's success leading the provincial NDP to a majority government in May raised hopes with her federal counterparts for gains in Monday's election. However, that didn't happen.  

Twenty-nine of the 34 Alberta seats went to the Conservatives. 

NDP candidate Linda Duncan retained her seat in Edmonton-Strathcona, but the party made no gains in Alberta, even though the Liberals elected four new MPs.

Notley, who joined NDP Leader Tom Mulcair at a rally in Edmonton on Friday, would not discuss what happened to her federal counterparts in Alberta. Instead, she claimed that there was overlap between her government's policies and the Liberal election platform. 

"There's no question that in Alberta many people voted for a leader they knew," she said. "I am also a leader that they know and my job going forward is to represent Albertans as effectively and as thoroughly as I can on the federal stage."

Notley and her government were targeted by Conservative Leader Stephen Harper during the 11-week campaign, prompting the premier and Finance Minister Joe Ceci to fire back. 

Notley declined to comment on Harper's decade in power or on the campaign, noting that politicians often make provocative statements while trying to get elected. 

However, she did suggest Harper's tactics may have backfired. 

"I believe that as much as possible it's important to try to run a positive campaign that brings voters together," she said. "And I'm pleased that seems to have been the ultimate outcome."

Notley's government will table a provincial budget on Oct. 27.