Cyr on feds push to approve “Just Transition” Bill-50

Last week, the federal Liberals introduced their “Just Transition” legislation, Bill C-50, which they are calling the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act. It appears the primary purpose of this Act is to form an advisory council that will provide the Liberals, and their NDP partners, with recommendations on how to support the Canadian workforce through a transition to a net-zero economy.

Achieving net-zero means our economy emits almost no carbon emissions, and what little is left will be offset. This could have a significant impact on the Lakeland and our oil and gas-based economy.
Premier Danielle Smith was quick to respond, reminding Ottawa that the development of Alberta’s natural resources and the regulation of our energy workforce are the constitutional responsibilities of Alberta, and that any recommendations from this new federal advisory council must align with Alberta’s Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan.

“Alberta will not recognize, cooperate with or enforce any attempt to phase out our province’s oil and gas industry or its workforce. This is non-negotiable,” Premier Smith said.

Energy and Minerals Minister Brian Jean said, “We are going to stand up for Albertans and fight hard for them and their industries – that includes oil and gas, which we do better than anyone else on the planet and we are only getting better at it every single day.”

Our government was re-elected, in part, to ensure our constitutional and jurisdictional rights are protected from outside interference, and that is exactly what we’re going to do. As Premier Smith said, we will not cooperate with or enforce any attempt to phase out our province’s oil and gas industry or its workforce. We look forward, however, to working to secure alignment between emissions reduction strategies, as this will unlock hundreds of billions in investment dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs for Albertans and Canadians.

The Lakeland’s economy is booming, and our province is leading the country in economic growth, but we must keep working to ensure our economy is growing and diversifying for the future. Albertans care deeply about the environment and reducing emissions, which is why we are investing in oil well remediation, hydrogen development, carbon capture usage and storage, and more. Caring for the environment and supporting the energy industry are not mutually exclusive concepts.

Our provincial government is willing to work in good faith with Ottawa on an energy and emissions strategy that will grow Alberta and Canada’s economy while achieving meaningful reductions in emissions. We will not support any federal actions that hurt Alberta’s workers or industries.

Alberta is the most environmentally responsible and humane energy producer in the world, and we are continually investing in technology to reduce emissions. This is something all Albertans can be proud of, regardless of political stripe.