Alberta, P.E.I. premiers meet in Charlottetown Friday

P.E.I. Premier Dennis King had a busy day Friday as the new PC government delivered its first throne speech in the morning, before King met with Alberta Premier Jason Kenney.

"It was a great opportunity for two newly elected premiers in the federation to get together and talk about issues that are of joint concern to us and to plan our road forward as we build our governments and try to do the best we can for our individual provinces," King said.

Kenney is the first premier from another province to come and congratulate King on his election win in person, he said.

Kenney said both he and King have worked together in the past when King was the head of the Seafood Processors Association of P.E.I., but both became premiers in the last six weeks.

Island connections

Kenney said he wanted to come to Atlantic Canada early in his tenure as premier of Alberta.

"To send a message of working together, of being partners in prosperity. We've benefited in Alberta from a lot of Prince Edward Islanders going west to work during the boom times."

Kenney even has an Islander in his caucus. Montague, P.E.I.-native Jordan Walker was elected for the United Conservative Party in Alberta.

One thing the two premiers spoke about was the sharing of wealth. King said it is an important issue because we live in a global economy.

Provinces face similar issues

"When Alberta is doing well Prince Edward Island is doing well and Canada is doing well. So, that's the connection we have," King said.

King said P.E.I. and Alberta face a lot of the same issues, like unemployment.

"I think we talked more about on the national level, what we can be doing collectively together to make this union prosper and to make sure it is shared equally across the board."

Diverse politics

Shortly after being elected, King said the "resistance" politics of his Tory counterparts across the country was not his style.

"Not that I don't like or subscribe to the politics of premier Kenney or others. It's just that the politics of Prince Edward Island, as the premier said, is different. It requires a different approach than what happens in other provinces."

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