Premier Danielle Smith hopes to finalize the MOU with Ottawa soon.

Smith will speak to the media at 12:30 p.m. MT/2:30 p.m ET, which will be livestreamed.

A petition for an Alberta referendum has over 300,000 signatures.

A court order is blocking the verification of the signatures due to a legal challenge.

A decision on the challenge is expected soon.

Smith is delivering a keynote speech at a Conservative think tank event.

The event features Smith and former premier Jason Kenney in fireside chats.

Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney met before the conference.

Smith and Carney discussed building a stronger economy and unlocking Alberta's resources.

Carney tweeted about the meeting, saying they are working together.

Both leaders said progress has been made on the agreement.

Smith said industry and Albertans are getting impatient for the MOU.

Smith hopes the MOU will be finalized in the next few days.

Neither leader mentioned the separatist push or pipelines in public remarks.

Carney said they have made progress since the initial agreement.

The pact outlines conditions for a new bitumen pipeline, including carbon capture.

Carney said a new pipeline is now more probable due to global energy market changes.

Carney said they are working to make Canada work better for all Canadians.

The original deadline for the MOU was April 1, now moved to July 1.

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