Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says Ottawa’s proposed cap on greenhouse gas emissions from the oilpatch singles out her province for punitive measures and she promises another court fight with the federal government over it.
In a press conference from Dubai, where she is attending the COP 28 climate meetings, Smith called federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault an extremist and a menace who refuses to work with her province.
She says Canada is facing a crisis because of the proposal.
Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz is calling the federal proposal a new National Energy Program, a ’70s-era federal policy that still evokes anger in the oilpatch.
Under Guilbeault’s policy, the oil and gas industry will have to cut emissions by more than one-third by 2030 or buy offset credits.
The Canadian Energy Regulator says Alberta is the only jurisdiction in Canada where greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, mostly because of oilpatch production.
Recent polls suggest most Albertans support an emissions cap on oil and gas.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2023.
The Canadian Press
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