Oil and gas, electricity emissions remain a challenge for Ottawa-Alberta relationship
There is no line in the sand between his government and Alberta over energy and climate policies but there is also still a lot of daylight in their respective visions, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Monday.
Wilkinson was in Calgary with Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc for a face-to-face meeting with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. It was the first Alberta-Ottawa sit down since Smith's United Conservative Party was re-elected last month.
The two governments have had a rocky relationship amid concerns in Alberta about Ottawa's climate-change policies and plans for a transition to a net-zero emissions economy.
Before the meeting Smith said Ottawa's plan for an emissions-free electricity grid by 2035 and a cap on oil and gas sector emissions that could be announced before the end of June aren't realistic for her province without a massive cost to the economy and jobs. She said she was drawing a line in the sand that Ottawa can either get on board Alberta's plan for getting to net-zero emissions by 2050, or it can get out of the way.
"I put forward our emissions reduction and energy development plan for a reason, because I'm sending the message to Ottawa that we are going to chart our own pathway to meet our national commitment of being carbon neutral by 2050 and they've got to come into alignment with us," she said at a news conference.
Following the meeting Wilkinson said they did not "fully get to a meeting of minds." But he was open to trying to understand what Alberta's concerns are and "to see the extent to which we may be able to address them."
"I think it's a mistake for anybody to be drawing a clear line in the sand saying, you know, we're not willing to compromise on anything," said Wilkinson.
"I've never been somebody who takes those kinds of polar positions. You know, we clearly are interested in moving forward with electricity regulations to see a clean grid, because we think that underpins the economy in the future. We have committed to a cap on oil and gas emissions. But there are lots of different ways to do that. There are flexibilities and how you design it."
He did not say whether that would mean changes to the timelines for those policies.
Net-zero is the term used for when any greenhouse-gas emissions remaining are captured either through nature or technology, so they don't end up in the atmosphere and contribute to more global warming.
Both Canada and Alberta are targeting to be net-zero by 2050. Canada however has multiple earlier targets along the way, including a 2030 target that wants to see emissions from the oil and gas sector cut by more than 40 per cent.
In a statement late Monday, Smith called the meeting "very constructive" but said Alberta made clear its concerns about the oil and natural gas emissions cap and 2035 net-zero power grid plans.
Smith said she instead proposed a bilateral working group be set up immediately between Ottawa and the province to work on ways to incentivize carbon capture and other emissions-reducing infrastructure for the fossil fuels and electricity sectors. The group would also set "reasonable and achievable milestones" to reduce emissions in those sectors through to 2050, she said.
"Our delegation also made clear the federal government must not unilaterally legislate any oil and natural gas emissions cap or electricity regulations impacting these areas of exclusive provincial jurisdiction without Alberta's approval," Smith's statement said.
One area of contention that seems to have been resolved is the federal sustainable jobs legislation, which Wilkinson tabled last week. Last winter Smith came out swinging against the promised bill, saying it was Ottawa's intention to use the legislation to kill Alberta's energy sector.
She said scrapping the jobs transition plan was a "non-negotiable condition" of Alberta investing more for carbon capture and storage in the oilsands.
The bill itself is a relatively bureaucratic bundle of advisory councils and reporting requirements for the government to show a plan every five years for protecting and creating energy jobs as the country and world transition to an economy without emissions.
Initially called the "just transition" plan, the bill has been renamed "sustainable jobs," which the government says better reflects its intention.
On Monday Smith's concerns about that bill seemed to have mostly vanished, including because of the name change. She said calling it a just transition "set the expectation of phasing out oil and natural gas workers completely."
"We told them that's not on, we are going to be phasing out emissions, we are not going to be phasing out oil and natural gas jobs. And they seem to have acknowledged that with their legislation that came forward, that includes opportunities for us to invest in carbon capture, utilization and storage, hydrogen, LNG export, and those are the things that I think we can find in common."
Wilkinson said the meeting included a lengthy discussion of carbon capture, a developing technology to trap carbon emissions from big industrial plants, such as electricity generating stations and oil and gas extraction operations, and then funnel them back underground.
He also said Ottawa is very interested in working with Alberta on planned hydrogen and net-zero petrochemical plants.
"Certainly, you know, there are some areas where we have differences, and we're going to need to work our way through those differences," he said. "But in general, I think it was a good faith opportunity to both sort of share aspirations that we agree on, and to put on the table some of the things that we don't and to talk about how we might move those things forward."
Smith's statement also said there was "constructive discussion" on the need to work faster to develop a regulatory regime for small modular nuclear reactors, and to work together with British Columbia on a plan to increase export of liquefied natural gas to international markets.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2023.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Conservatives call on Elon Musk to step in after Liberals provide loan to Ottawa-based satellite operator
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
Sunken superyacht believed to contain watertight safes with sensitive intelligence data
Specialist divers surveying the wreckage of the US$40 million superyacht that sank off Sicily in August, killing seven people including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, have asked for heightened security to guard the vessel, over concerns that sensitive data locked in its safes may interest foreign governments, multiple sources told CNN.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year Â鶹ӰÊÓ reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I’m grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.
A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.
Heavy metal exposure could increase cardiovascular disease risk, study finds
A new study is adding to emerging research showing that exposure to metals such as cadmium, uranium and copper may also be associated with the leading cause of death worldwide, cardiovascular disease.
Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.
Hezbollah targets base near Haifa after Israeli strike in Beirut killed 37, including top commander
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah announced that it fired a barrage of missiles at a military base deep inside Israel early Sunday following an Israeli airstrike more than a day earlier that killed at least 37 people, including one of the militant group’s senior leaders as well as women and children.
A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.