Danielle Smith addresses 'just transition' concerns with prime minister in Ottawa
Danielle Smith addresses 'just transition' concerns with prime minister in Ottawa
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith expressed her concerns with the federal government's proposed 'just transition' legislation directly to the prime minister on Tuesday, saying she hopes the two can find some common ground.
Smith previously voiced her apprehensions with the yet-to-be-tabled legislation in a public letter to Justin Trudeau, in which she said the world needs "more energy, not less."
The office of the premier says Smith met with Trudeau for approximately 30 minutes on Tuesday, primarily to discuss Alberta's request that the federal government halt its introduction of the legislation and other emission reduction strategies.
"I did write a letter to the prime minister a couple of weeks ago, expressing concern about some of the major initiatives that have been announced without much consultation with Alberta that stand to have a huge impact on our province," said Smith while speaking to media alongside Trudeau.
"The 'just transition' legislation gives the impression that the energy sector is going to be phased out. It's not going to be phased out."
Smith said she does think the two have some "shared priorities."
"LNG export to reduce emissions using the green transfer mechanism to get credit here, that will also help British Columbia. Working on critical minerals, hydrogens, geothermal … I think there is a lot of opportunity for us to find some common ground,” she said.
"I think it's going to be important for all of us, for Alberta, for all of Canada, that we need to find common ground, so that we can continue to address these issues together," the premier added.
Her in-person pitch to the prime minister comes as new data shows 2022 was a record year for oil production in Alberta.
According to ATB, crude production in the province was nearly 1.4 billion barrels last year, the most ever in Alberta's history.
"We're really seeing the payoff from all the investments in the oil sands all those years ago. Those big projects are now producing a lot of oil," said Rob Roach, ATB chief economist.
"Overall, it's an economic benefit for the province."
An average of 3.7 million barrels of crude were produced daily in Alberta in 2022, an increase of 12 per cent compared to 2021. The amount of oil produced in the province last year was almost double what the figures were in 2010.
"We expect some growth over the next few years, but it will hit that transportation wall at some point. It will still be a positive thing for the economy as we maintain that production," said Roach.
"Longer term, there's questions around how climate change and climate change policy might start to cut into that. But in the short term, production growth is the likely scenario," he added.
The premier's office says Smith asked the feds to collaborate with Alberta on developing a plan and partnership to "attract energy investment and workers into Alberta’s conventional, non-conventional and emerging energy sectors" while reducing Canada’s and Alberta’s net emissions.
"The prime minister expressed a willingness to explore this strategy with the premier through their respective ministers and the premier will be following up with further correspondence regarding proposed next steps in the near future," said a Tuesday news release.
Smith was in Ottawa for the first in-person meeting of all first ministers since the COVID-19 pandemic.
When two skiers collided on a beginner run at an upscale Utah ski resort in 2016, no one could foresee that seven years later, the crash would become the subject of a closely watched celebrity trial.
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a brief initial response to the final report from the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) into Canada's worst mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020. Vowing changes will come, here's what Trudeau said in Truro, N.S.
The federal Liberals are trending downward on three key measures while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has surpassed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when it comes to the question of who Canadians would prefer now as their prime minister, according to Nanos Research.
A coroner has denied a request from a former Toronto police officer to explore a theory that a distraught teen he shot was committing "suicide by cop."
U.S. authorities are investigating a group of people swimming toward a pod of spinner dolphins off Hawaii's Big Island. The department alleges that the swimmers were 'harassing the pod' as the dolphins were swimming away.
A 2021 plane crash at the Westlock Airport was caused by an "unstable visual approach" to the landing runway, a Transportation Safety Board investigator has found.
A 15-year-old girl shot to death in the community of Martindale early Tuesday morning, has now been identified by friends and police as Sarah Alexis Jorquera.
Two-and-a-half years after it was established, Nova Scotia’s Mass Casualty Commission has recommended sweeping changes to everything from gun control to mental health services, although there’s no guarantee any will ever be implemented.
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
A coroner has denied a request from a former Toronto police officer to explore a theory that a distraught teen he shot was committing "suicide by cop."
It's been two weeks since a major fire ripped through a heritage building in the heart of Old Montreal, killing seven people and forever altering the lives of families across the globe. For the families of those who died, the grieving process is only starting.
A young man found wounded late Wednesday night in the parking lot of a shopping centre in northeast Montreal is believed to be the victim of an earlier shooting in the same area. Montreal police (SPVM) reported Thursday morning that the 18-year-old man's life was no longer in danger.
A Saskatoon murder trial is being adjourned to allow police to follow-up on "significant information" that just came to the Crown prosecutor's attention Wednesday.
A community-focused historian has found several potential ancient artifacts along the Saskatchewan River, including a bison bone that is over 8,000 years old.
A judge has acquitted a now-retired priest of forcing himself on a residential school student more than 50 years ago, saying she believes an assault happened but could not determine beyond a reasonable doubt who did it.
A bylaw officer in Manitoba is facing fraud charges for allegedly keeping the surrender fees when people gave up their pets, according to the Brandon Police Service.
