(Edmonton) Alberta Premier Danielle Smith plans to reveal details next week of her threat to invoke her government’s sovereignty law over federal clean energy regulations.
Mme Smith said on her radio show Saturday that she was “fed up” with federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, saying he “doesn’t care about the Constitution” and noting that Ottawa had recently lost two trials involving disputes concerning the federal government and its alleged interference in provincial jurisdiction.
The law on the sovereignty of Alberta within a united Canada, which the government of Mme Smith passed last year, would allow the province to reject federal laws or regulations when it believes they cause harm to Alberta. This has not been tested in court.
Last month, Mme Smith outlined the conditions under which his 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 2035 target for a net-zero electricity grid net emission are so many lines in the sand.
Mme Smith said Saturday that people will have to wait until Monday to find out more, but she noted that Alberta would not put electricity providers at risk of going to jail if they don’t meet Ottawa’s demands, which she described as unachievable.
“I have to tell you, I didn’t want to do that. I really wanted it, from the very first conversation I had with [le premier ministre] Justin Trudeau, I wanted to work with him on this. We put everything on the table with the negotiators so that we could find common ground,” said Mr.me Smith.
“But Steven Guilbeault, I don’t know, he’s a non-conformist. 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 to affirm it,” she continued.
Too hasty objectives according to Mme Smith
Mme Smith has previously said utility executives would face jail time if they fail to meet federal emissions targets, a claim that Calgary Liberal MP George Chahal called ” ridiculous” last month.
Mme Smith maintains there is reason to believe electricity generators could reach a target later than 2050. Any earlier, she says, could put the grid at risk of outages during peak periods.
In its October Speech from the Throne, the United Conservative Party repeated its previous promises to adopt parts of the sovereignty law if Ottawa adopted measures on climate change that the province deemed contrary to its interests.
A Nov. 16 Federal Court ruling overturned a Cabinet order 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 legislation dealing with the environmental effects of major developments was unconstitutional because it sought to regulate activities within provincial jurisdiction.
“They’ve lost two cases now – one in the Supreme Court and one in the Federal Court – saying they have to stay in their lane,” Ms.me Smith on the federal government, Saturday.
“Their path is clearly not electricity. The electricity, if someone wants to read the Constitution under article 92, goes to the provinces,” she added.
Mr. Guilbeault published draft regulations in early August aimed at establishing a carbon-neutral energy network by 2035. He said Canada did not want to be left behind as the United States and other G7 countries move forward. are moving towards clean electricity.
He also said any claim that building a clean electricity grid in Alberta would lead to power outages is misinformation designed to inflame rather than inform.