(Edmonton) Alberta Premier Danielle Smith plans to reveal details next week of her threat to invoke her government’s Sovereignty Act over federal clean energy regulations.
Posted at 6:54 p.m
Ms. Smith said on her radio show Saturday that she was “fed up” with federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, said he “doesn’t care about the Constitution” and stressed that Ottawa recently lost two lawsuits involving disputes over the federal government and his alleged interference in provincial jurisdiction.
The Alberta Sovereignty in a United Canada Act, which Smith’s government passed last year, would allow the province to reject federal laws or regulations if it believes they are harming Alberta. This was not tested in court.
Last month, Ms Smith outlined the conditions under which her government would enact parts of the law.
She told reporters that a “hostile” cap on oil and gas emissions, including methane, a cap on emissions from fertilizer use or a target for net-zero emissions on the electric grid by 2035 were so many lines in the sand.
Smith said Saturday that people would have to wait until Monday to learn more, but she pointed out that Alberta will not put power providers at risk of going to jail if they don’t meet Ottawa’s demands, which they consider unattainable designated.
“I have to tell you, I didn’t want that. I really wanted it, from the first conversation [le premier ministre] Justin Trudeau, I wanted to work with him on this. We have put everything on the table with the negotiators to find common ground,” said Ms. Smith.
“But Steven Guilbeault, I don’t know, he’s a nonconformist. He doesn’t seem to care about the law, he doesn’t seem to care about the Constitution. I do, and we will make sure we confirm it,” she continued.
According to Ms. Smith, goals that are too hasty
Smith has previously said utility executives could face prison time if they fail to meet federal emissions targets, a claim Calgary Liberal MP George Chahal called “ridiculous” last month.
Smith believes there is reason to believe power producers could reach their target later than 2050. Any earlier, she says, runs the risk of a grid failure during peak times.
In its throne speech in October, the United Conservative Party repeated its previous promises to adopt parts of the Sovereignty Act if Ottawa took action on climate change that the province deemed contrary to its interests.
A Nov. 16 Federal Court ruling overturned a cabinet decision underpinning Ottawa’s ban on certain single-use plastics, and Guilbeault said the government would appeal. And in October, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that federal laws addressing the environmental impacts of large developments were unconstitutional because they aimed to regulate activities within provincial jurisdiction.
“They have now lost two cases – one in the Supreme Court and one in the Federal Court – and are saying they need to stay in their lane,” Ms. Smith said of the federal government on Saturday.
“Your path is clearly not through electricity. If someone wants to read the Constitution under Article 92, the power goes to the provinces,” she added.
Mr. Guilbeault released draft regulations in early August that aim to build a carbon-neutral energy grid by 2035. He said Canada doesn’t want to be left behind as the United States and other G7 countries make progress toward clean electricity.
He also said any claim that building a clean power grid in Alberta would lead to blackouts is misinformation intended to provoke rather than inform.