Premier Rachel Notley has announced that Alberta is pulling out of the national climate plan until the federal government 鈥済ets its act together鈥� on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
In a scathing statement, Notley declared that 鈥渢he time for Canadian niceties is over鈥� and urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to recall Parliament for an emergency session to address what she called a crisis that threatens Canada鈥檚 sovereignty.
鈥淎lbertans are angry. I am angry. Alberta has done everything right and we have been let down,鈥� Notley said.
Notley said she spoke with the prime minister following the Federal Court of Appeal鈥檚 decision Thursday to overturn the federal government鈥檚 approval of the contentious pipeline expansion. Notley said she urged Trudeau to call the emergency meeting and file an immediate appeal.
In the meantime, she said Alberta won鈥檛 participate in the national climate plan 鈥渦ntil the federal government gets its act together.鈥�
鈥淎nd let鈥檚 be clear: without Alberta, that plan isn鈥檛 worth the paper it鈥檚 written on,鈥� she said.
The NDP premier insisted that she is still dedicated to growing the economy while protecting the environment. But she said Canada won鈥檛 be able to transition to a lower carbon economy without creating jobs that come 鈥渇rom getting fair value for the resources that we own.鈥�
Without the pipeline expansion, Notley said, Canada will continue to rely on exporting its oil through the United States -- a scenario she said 鈥渘o other country on earth would accept.鈥�
鈥淢oney that should be going to Canadian schools and hospitals is going to American yachts and private jets. We鈥檙e exporting jobs. We鈥檙e exporting opportunity. And we鈥檙e letting other countries control our economic destiny. We can鈥檛 stand for it,鈥� she said.
If immediate steps are taken, Notley said, there is still hope that construction on the expansion can restart in early 2019.
鈥淭his absolutely needs to happen,鈥� she said.
Notley didn鈥檛 level total blame on the federal government. She said the combined actions of the Harper government, the Trudeau government, the National Energy Board and the Federal Court of Appeal have led to a situation that she called 鈥渞idiculous.鈥�
鈥淚t was broken in Ottawa, and now Ottawa needs to fix it.鈥�
Notley鈥檚 move is a serious blow to the Liberal climate plan, which includes putting a price on carbon and new clean fuel standards.
Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau said earlier in the day that the federal government is dedicated to move forward with the Trans Mountain project.
"Our government remains committed to ensuring the project proceeds in a manner that protects the public interest," Morneau said in Toronto.
