Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall found himself locked in a digital war of words on Twitter Tuesday while promoting the Energy East pipeline in eastern Canada.
On June 14, Wall delivered a speech in Toronto on the proposed $15.7 billion pipeline that would transport oil from Alberta and Saskatchewan to refineries in eastern Canada and a marine terminal in New Brunswick.
The pipeline was also part of a closed-door discussion between Wall and New Brunswick premier, Brian Gallant.
READ MORE: Wall, Gallant discuss proposed Energy East pipeline benefits
However, it was online where Wall ran into some criticism.
In a clip of the Toronto speech posted on his Twitter page, Wall speaks out against the Leap Manifesto and the Saskatchewan NDP finance critic, Cathy Sproule, for wanting to debate the manifesto.
“The contents of which would destroy our economy, literally destroy the economy of Saskatchewan,” Wall said in the speech.
“It doesn’t like modern farming, agriculture, doesn’t like mining, it certainly doesn’t like oil and gas, it doesn’t want to build any more pipelines.”
He also references a study produced by Mark Z. Jacobson, a civil and environmental engineering professor and director of Stanford’s Atmosphere and Energy program. The study provides wind, water and solar roadmaps for 139 countries.
Wall claimed the plan would cost $1.86 trillion and triple Canada’s debt.
“A number so big as to be meaningless, but it is a platform, for may I say, an assault on…one of the things that Canada does so well, the resource business, the energy business,” Wall said in the speech.
After his speech, Canadian author and activist Naomi Klein condemned Wall, calling him out for wanting a federal bailout to clean up old Wells.
READ MORE: One way to get ex-oil workers on the job again: cleaning up old wells
Wall answered back, saying the numbers came directly from Jacobson, then Klein pointed out the energy savings.
Jacobson also corrected Wall with his own tweet, which said energy cost includes capital cost plus fuel plus operations and maintenance equals only 10 centers per kilowatt hour for 100% wind, water and solar.
He then said Wall did forget health care savings and saving related to costs associated with climate change.
Jacobson added wind, water and solar energy sources would reduce Canada’s demand for energy by 42%.
Wall continued tweeting against the Leap Manifesto.
On Wednesday morning, Wall once again took to Twitter to write a sarcastic response.
Jacobson responded to the tweet with information on New York and California’s plans to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions.
James Glennie, president of SaskWind, provided a statement to Global News regarding the Twitter exchange.
“If Premier Wall spent less time attacking perceived enemies and more time looking for common ground, then we could create a win-win, which would be good for businesses, the economy, jobs and the environment. Exchanges like today’s, between Premier Wall and Naomi Klein, make[s] one realise we are still far from that point: the Saskatchewan economy will continue to suffer as a result. The shame of it is Saskatchewan has the best wind and solar resource in the country and almost no industrial supply-chain with which to develop it.”
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