WATCH ABOVE: Alberta’s premier-designate Rachel Notley sits down for a one-on-one with Tom Clark on how the province will change over the next four years, whether she supports pipelines, and what her environmental policy will be.
EDMONTON — Albertans who were seeking direction on the environment when they booted the Progressive Conservative dynasty from power will have to wait a little longer.
“The PC government’s been promising a climate change strategy since I was elected and it’s been delayed ever since,” said premier-designate Rachel Notley in an interview on The West Block with Tom Clark, when asked specifically whether she would increase the carbon tax in Alberta. “So I think we’re going to need a little bit more time before we come up with the specifics.”
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Before making any decisions, she said, there are conversations that need to happen with industry and community leaders across the province.
The environment is of a special concern in Alberta, home of the oil sands and national hub for the oil and gas industry. During the election campaign, PC Leader Jim Prentice accused Notley of turning her back on job creation and the oil industry when she announced her intention to hold a review of the province’s royalty structure to ensure that Albertans are getting a fair return for their non-renewable resources.
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Royalties are paid by energy companies to develop the province’s oil and gas resources. The government of former premier Ed Stelmach increased royalty rates in 2007, but rolled them back after major criticism from the oil and natural gas industry and a serious loss of investment in the province. Producers suggested royalty increases compounded the effects of falling demand and low prices during the 2008 economic downturn.
Equally important as maintaining the business and revenue side of the industry, however, is ensuring the environmental reputation of the province —something Notley said she believes industry is ready to tackle.
“Maybe not all industry, but some leaders in industry I think really are prepared to have the common cause with us on that because I think there are some responsible leaders in industry who understand that jobs and economic growth on one hand are not the polar opposite of environmental responsibility,” she said.
“And then in fact, if you do both responsibly, they work together quite effectively to open markets and deal with those kinds of issues around international reputation.”
On the docket right now is the pending approval of the Keystone XL and Northern Gateway pipelines. Asked whether she would get behind them, Notley was ambivalent.
READ MORE: Notley says moving on from Northern Gateway is realistic, not defeatist
What’s most important, she said, is ensuring that, as the province’s economy grows, so do the number of jobs.
— With a file from The Canadian Press
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