麻豆影视

Skip to main content

Will the feds bend on Alberta's ask for a net-zero grid delay? Boissonnault says officials 'having those conversations'

Share

Despite the federal environment minister insisting the Alberta government will not be granted an extension in its transition to a net-zero grid by 2035, Employment Minister and Alberta MP Randy Boissonnault says 鈥渙fficials are having those conversations鈥 at a working table dealing with 鈥渁 whole series of issues.鈥

The federal government has set a deadline to achieve a net-zero power grid at 2035, which Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has repeatedly said her province will not be able to meet.

Despite significant pushback from Smith on the deadline 鈥 and repeated requests that it be moved 鈥 Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has insisted his government won鈥檛 make exceptions for individual provinces or budge on its target.

Meanwhile, the federal government faced criticism this week after it walked back part of its marquee climate policy, the carbon price, by granting a three-year pause on the federal fuel charge on home heating oil, among other changes.

But the move primarily impacts and benefits Atlantic Canadians 鈥 where much larger percentages of households use heating oil 鈥 prompting many officials to call it unfair to people in other parts of the country who are also struggling with an affordability crisis.

Opposition parties have called for the federal government to suspend the carbon tax on all forms of home heating, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week there will be 鈥渁bsolutely鈥 no more exemptions.

Boissonnault told CTV鈥檚 Question Period host Vassy Kapelos in an interview airing Sunday, that a number of other energy projects that required the federal and Alberta governments to work together show 鈥渢he country is built on compromises and carve-outs, regardless of who you vote for.鈥

But when asked whether Alberta should be granted a specific exemption it鈥檚 been asking for, namely to delay the 2035 net-zero electricity grid deadline, Boissonnault said conversations about that are why there鈥檚 a working table in place between Ottawa and Alberta.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a working table that's looking at a whole series of issues,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd I already indicated that a carve-out exists for electricity generation.鈥

Kapelos then pressed Boissonnault specifically on whether the federal government is considering pushing the deadline for Alberta to reach a net-zero grid, despite the environment minister being adamant that wouldn鈥檛 happen.

鈥淚'm saying there's a working table and these are conversations,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 why we asked Premier Smith and her government to sit down at the table with us. Officials are having those conversations, and my own deputy minister is part of those conversations.鈥

鈥淎nd so we're going to continue to push to work with Alberta to find common ground on all of these energy issues, so that we have a system that's going to help energy, and communities, and both of our governments, to continue to reduce emissions,鈥 he added.

Boissonnault in his interview also discussed Alberta鈥檚 proposal to leave the Canada Pension Plan, and said 鈥淟iberals fight for every seat that (they) get,鈥 in response to controversial comments made by Rural Economic Development Minister Gudie Hutchings, who said last week the Prairies should elect more Liberal MPs who can share their concerns with the government if they want to secure more carbon price carve-outs.

Watch the full interview on CTV鈥檚 Question Period Sunday at 11 a.m. ET.

IN DEPTH

Opinion

opinion

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

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.

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 Mont茅r茅gie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.

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鈥檚 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.

Stay Connected