Premiers gather in Halifax with a message for Trudeau: stick to your lane

As the premiers gather in Halifax this week for their annual summer meetings, they're sending Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a unified message: stay off our lawn.

«Every federal budget, we see more and more new programs in provincial jurisdictions,» Quebec Premier François Legault said Monday.

«Enough is enough.»

Canada's 13 premiers meet Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss enduring political issues like the cost of living and the state of Canada's infrastructure, along with looming questions about the Canada-U.S. relationship.

Ahead of this year's gathering of the Council of the Federation, chair and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston sent a letter to Trudeau asking him to do a better job of engaging with the premiers and to «refrain from unilateral actions in areas of provincial and territorial jurisdiction, particularly in health care, education and housing.»

«We are asking you to work with us in a true partnership to revitalize cooperative federalism in Canada,» the letter reads.

«We hope this letter will serve as an invitation to engage with premiers on ways to renew our relationship so that we can collectively deliver for Canadians. Canadians expect their governments to work together.»

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith clashes frequently with the Trudeau government over what she describes as federal overreach and has criticized Ottawa for circumventing the provinces to send billions of dollars directly to municipalities to build housing.

She's introduced what she's calling a «stay out of my backyard bill» in the Edmonton legislature, which would require provincial oversight of future housing deals between the federal government and municipalities in the province.

Her government also has made it clear it intends to opt out of the new