The leader of Alberta’s provincial government, Danielle Smith, justified her support for the bill by saying, “It’s not like Ottawa is a national government,” a conclusion that is widely disputed by constitutional experts.Ms. Smith, who is the leader of Alberta’s United Conservative Party and the premier of the province, added, “The way our country works is that we are a federation of sovereign, independent jurisdictions.” The new law is the latest development reflecting an informal, far-right effort in western Canadian provinces, mainly Alberta, to secede from Canada, underscoring just how difficult it can be for Ottawa to govern the regionally divided country.Though Ms. Smith is not a member of any group participating in the secessionist movement, sometimes called Wexit, she has long espoused its driving view that the federal government is taking advantage of Alberta.After the law was adopted, he told reporters that he was “not interested in fighting with the Alberta government.” Many legal experts say the law is unconstitutional because it claims the authority to nullify bills passed by federal lawmakers.Jason Kenney, Ms. Smith’s predecessor as premier and a Conservative who resigned from his seat in Alberta’s Legislature shortly after the proposed law was introduced, issued a statement when he stepped down that was widely interpreted as critical of Ms. Smith."