‘I’m pissed’: Alberta premier, oil and gas industry slam Ottawa’s new emissions cap
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith did not mince words over Ottawa’s new greenhouse gas emissions cap announced Monday.
“I’m pissed — I’m absolutely angry,” Smith said at a news conference.
“We’ve been working with these guys for two years because we have a plan that would reduce emissions responsibly by 2050 and they continue to act like they are working collaboratively with us — then they come out with exactly same policy they put forward a year ago, with no changes whatsoever and then trying to mislead the public about the true intent.”
The Alberta premier said the cap violates Canada’s constitution, explaining Section 92A gives provinces exclusive jurisdiction over non-renewable natural resource development, “yet this cap will require a one million barrel a day production cut by 2030.”
Smith called the policy a “deranged vendetta” against the oil-and-gas producing province by federal Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeault.
Smith took a shot at the federal Liberals and leader Justin Trudeau at the news conference.
“They persist in this pathway which will harm our province and harm the country and that is not acceptable — not for a government that is what, 20 per cent in the polls? Not for a government that is on its way out the door.
“It cannot destroy the most important industry in the country by targeting our province with this kind of unilateral action. We just won’t stand for it.”
Smith said she plans to challenge the cap in court as soon as possible.
“I’ll get my justice minister working on it immediately and we’ll start drafting a motion under the sovereignty act,” she said.
Guilbeault announced regulations that will require oil and gas producers in Canada to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by about one-third
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