EDMONTON - There were smiles, handshakes and even a joke or two as Canada's western premiers emerged from their day-long meeting in Edmonton.

There has been friction between the leaders of late over British Columbia's opposition to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion that would carry Alberta oil to the West Coast.

Both B.C. Premier John Horgan and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney say their positions on the project didn't change at the meeting.

But there were no fireworks at the closing news conference like last year, when the pipeline issue led then-Alberta premier Rachel Notley to opt out of signing a document from the meeting.

The premiers did find common ground on issues such as trade corridors and recognizing professional credentials from province to province.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister's efforts to have the premiers unite against Quebec's law banning civil servants from wearing religious symbols did not make it on the formal agenda of the meeting.