A federal bill that has yet to be tabled already has the premier and many Albertans speaking out about what the province’s biggest resource sector needs moving forward.
Ottawa’s “just transition” bill is an incentive program fueled by the input of Canadians and provincial leaders across the country to transition workers out of dying industry jobs into roles in more sustainable sectors.
Premier Danielle Smith voiced her opinion of the bill in a tweet Tuesday that reads: “The federal government’s ill-conceived and short-sighted plan is extremely harmful to the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who are supported by the energy sector and will be detrimental to Canada’s economic recovery.”
Sonya Savage, Alberta’s minister of environment and protected areas also spoke out on twitter, saying targeting the energy sector is going to have a major impact on the Canadian economy and that Alberta is already making investments in more sustainable solutions.
Experts agree that the concerns of Albertans needs to be considered by the federal government.
“I think what really needs to happen is that the concerns of a number of Albertans be taken seriously by the federal government. And that the provincial government work with the federal government on how to proceed,” said political scientist Lori Williams.
She emphasized that no part of the bill is trying to take away jobs from anyone. Rather, it’s meant to help people who have traditional industry jobs that aren’t growing like they used to find new jobs in more sustainable industries.
It’s really about economic impact: “It’s about how you address climate… in a manner that actually makes economic sense,” said federal resources minister Jonathan Wilkinson.
The two main goals of the bill are to ensure Canada remains a reliable supplier of oil and gas in a way that hits targets and to seize economic opportunities. To get there, everyone across the country needs to work together to make it happen, he said.
Williams agreed that while it’s important to raise the concerns of Albertans, as Smith and Savage have, it’s also important for the provincial and federal governments to work together – in other words, action needs to be taken from concerns raised on social media by our leaders.
Other provinces have been in discussion with Canada over this bill, however Alberta has not shown up to the table, Williams said.
“There’s a lost opportunity here for the provincial government to be at the table, to be advocating for Alberta’s interests.
“It’s a bit unfortunate right now that this stance that’s being taken by the provincial government is so opposed to Ottawa, so critical of Ottawa, that it might be getting in the way of constructive discussions, negotiations that could lead to benefits for Alberta.”
However, Smith said in a statement to Global News that: “The (prime minister) wants to phase out the workforce for the largest industry in Alberta and hasn’t bothered getting Alberta’s input. We have had no consultation, no discussion.”
While Smith hasn’t had any direct consultation with the federal government on the matter since becoming premier in the fall, Wilkinson said he and his colleagues have had multiple conversations with previous Alberta governments over the years on the issues at hand.
Smith carried on to say that the federal government doesn’t understand the lengths the province has gone to/is going to “in order to make our energy industry the most environmentally responsible oil and gas source in the entire world,” and that “Albertans, not Ottawa, will manage and (diversify) our resource sector how Albertans see fit.”
There are no requirements for provinces to participate in this bill, she said, but there are incentives, and that’s where it becomes important for these conversations to take place.
“That balance between energy and the environment – cleaner production, consumption of fossil fuels – can be part of the transition… It could be better for investment in Alberta if more were said about trying to strike that balance,” said Smith.
“There’s a bit of a problem if the provincial government looks too much at advocating for Alberta’s oil and gas industry without emphasizing the environmental advances that are being sought – and accomplished – in that industry. It could have a negative impact on investment.”
Smith said she would be happy for the prime minister to come to Alberta so she could “explain a few economic and political realities with him to aid his decision making process.”
“This is not the federal government trying to come in and tell the provinces what they need to do – it’s actually about trying to support the provinces to do the things that make most sense to them in their area of jurisdiction,” said Wilkinson.
— With files from Nicole Stillger, Global News