Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the problem with the federal approach is "it's all stick and no carrot," slamming the feds at Canada's Premier's meeting.."In the United States, it's the reverse. They want the investment in green technology and they want to encourage businesses to do that to create jobs and to grow," Smith said..The premiers concluded their annual summer meeting on Wednesday with a discussion of key economic priorities to support future growth and prosperity..Seizing the economic opportunities of the future is a focus for all premiers. This includes supporting environmental stewardship along with economic growth and competitiveness to sustainably build the economy now and for the next generations.."I think that's what the statement says, of the premiers here is that yeah, we can meet green energy standards," Smith said.."We can meet emissions targets, but we have to have growing economies, the federal government has to step up and do its job as opposed to keep on interfering in our jurisdiction to tell us how to do our job.".Smith then told the feds it is its job to build economic corridors.."Their job is to build ports. Their job is to give us new access through rail lines through roadways and to build transmission lines and to build a pipeline so that we can get our product to market," said Smith.."If each one of us is able to get our products to market, grow our economy (so) we have the means to be able to invest in the technologies that will allow us to reduce emissions."."But if they continue piling on top of our consumers and piling on top of our businesses, additional costs creating an affordability crisis and interfering with our ability to do those kinds of expansions and those kinds of investments we just end up with a downward spiral in the wrong direction.".Smith said she was pleased to see the outcome of the meeting..Key priorities discussed by the premiers include:.• Competitiveness, Canada/US relations and trade;.• Strategic infrastructure;.• Energy security and critical minerals; and.• Sustainable development and climate action..The premiers said they are addressing these issues in cooperation with key partners..The premiers also called upon Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to convene a First Ministers’ Meeting dedicated to the linked priorities of competitiveness and strategic infrastructure.."Everyone committed to things like Article Six, that's the Paris Accord and the section that Catherine McKenna negotiated when she was at the table to allow for us to use our technology to reduce emissions globally in our energy sector to reduce emissions globally and get credit back here," said Smith.."That's one of the ways in which we can reduce emissions but still do it in a way that helps enhance our competitiveness and enhance our exports and that's why we're just trying to encourage the federal government to think a little bit more creatively about how we can have both.".Smith said Norway and the US have managed to figure out how to have both. ."We are just asking for them to understand that they have put us in a position of creating an enormous affordability crisis," she said.."Because they keep on loading up cost after cost after cost. And they're (feds) not doing the work that needs to be done to make sure that we've got access.".The premiers also agreed on the importance of developing resources in a responsible manner, meeting domestic needs and positioning Canada as the optimal solution to global energy needs and security..Provinces and territories have diverse energy and natural resource assets, which are reflected in their respective jurisdictions’ priorities..The premiers said hydrogen, natural gas, hydroelectricity, wind, carbon capture utilization and storage, small modular reactors, uranium and oil, are examples of Canada’s abundant energy sources and technologies., which are among the most sustainable and ethical in the world..Canada’s energy sector will continue to evolve and adapt to new technologies in search of lower to zero-emitting energy sources, and provide new, higher-paying skilled jobs for decades to come..The premiers are also focused on promoting Canada’s potential as a global powerhouse in the reliable sourcing and supply of critical minerals and rare earth elements..They said critical minerals extraction and processing will continue to generate economic prosperity and create the potential to support high-value activities in the electric vehicle supply chain..The premiers also called on the federal government to take action to ensure the accelerated approval processes identified in Budget 2023 are implemented in a timely manner and to respect provincial and territorial jurisdiction over natural resources while working collaboratively with provinces and territories on their respective priorities..These include:.• Continuing to produce and supply ethical, sustainable and affordable Canadian energy and critical minerals to domestic and international markets;.• Maintaining and expanding critical energy infrastructure, including securing the future of Line 5;.• Investing in the clean energy infrastructure needed to realize Canada’s economic potential; and.• Ensuring predictable and streamlined federal impact assessments and regulatory regimes, without duplicating provincial and territorial processes..Also discussed were policies the federal government intends to impose including the Clean Fuel Regulations, the proposed Clean Electricity Regulations and a cap on oil and gas emissions..The premiers affirmed that electricity and energy regulation is the exclusive jurisdiction of provinces and territories and are taking action to reduce emissions..Federal policies must not infringe on their authority and must recognize their unique needs and situations. The premiers also discussed the impacts of these federal policies including overlap, affordability and inflationary impacts, feasibility and attainability..The premiers called on the federal government to ensure federal climate policies recognize early and ongoing action by provinces and territories in these areas..Concerns were expressed that the federal Clean Electricity Regulations are unattainable and unaffordable for some jurisdictions given current technologies and timelines..At the conclusion of the meeting, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston assumed the Chair of the Council of the Federation. Nova Scotia will host the summer meeting of Canada’s Premiers on July 15 to 17, 2024.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the problem with the federal approach is "it's all stick and no carrot," slamming the feds at Canada's Premier's meeting.."In the United States, it's the reverse. They want the investment in green technology and they want to encourage businesses to do that to create jobs and to grow," Smith said..The premiers concluded their annual summer meeting on Wednesday with a discussion of key economic priorities to support future growth and prosperity..Seizing the economic opportunities of the future is a focus for all premiers. This includes supporting environmental stewardship along with economic growth and competitiveness to sustainably build the economy now and for the next generations.."I think that's what the statement says, of the premiers here is that yeah, we can meet green energy standards," Smith said.."We can meet emissions targets, but we have to have growing economies, the federal government has to step up and do its job as opposed to keep on interfering in our jurisdiction to tell us how to do our job.".Smith then told the feds it is its job to build economic corridors.."Their job is to build ports. Their job is to give us new access through rail lines through roadways and to build transmission lines and to build a pipeline so that we can get our product to market," said Smith.."If each one of us is able to get our products to market, grow our economy (so) we have the means to be able to invest in the technologies that will allow us to reduce emissions."."But if they continue piling on top of our consumers and piling on top of our businesses, additional costs creating an affordability crisis and interfering with our ability to do those kinds of expansions and those kinds of investments we just end up with a downward spiral in the wrong direction.".Smith said she was pleased to see the outcome of the meeting..Key priorities discussed by the premiers include:.• Competitiveness, Canada/US relations and trade;.• Strategic infrastructure;.• Energy security and critical minerals; and.• Sustainable development and climate action..The premiers said they are addressing these issues in cooperation with key partners..The premiers also called upon Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to convene a First Ministers’ Meeting dedicated to the linked priorities of competitiveness and strategic infrastructure.."Everyone committed to things like Article Six, that's the Paris Accord and the section that Catherine McKenna negotiated when she was at the table to allow for us to use our technology to reduce emissions globally in our energy sector to reduce emissions globally and get credit back here," said Smith.."That's one of the ways in which we can reduce emissions but still do it in a way that helps enhance our competitiveness and enhance our exports and that's why we're just trying to encourage the federal government to think a little bit more creatively about how we can have both.".Smith said Norway and the US have managed to figure out how to have both. ."We are just asking for them to understand that they have put us in a position of creating an enormous affordability crisis," she said.."Because they keep on loading up cost after cost after cost. And they're (feds) not doing the work that needs to be done to make sure that we've got access.".The premiers also agreed on the importance of developing resources in a responsible manner, meeting domestic needs and positioning Canada as the optimal solution to global energy needs and security..Provinces and territories have diverse energy and natural resource assets, which are reflected in their respective jurisdictions’ priorities..The premiers said hydrogen, natural gas, hydroelectricity, wind, carbon capture utilization and storage, small modular reactors, uranium and oil, are examples of Canada’s abundant energy sources and technologies., which are among the most sustainable and ethical in the world..Canada’s energy sector will continue to evolve and adapt to new technologies in search of lower to zero-emitting energy sources, and provide new, higher-paying skilled jobs for decades to come..The premiers are also focused on promoting Canada’s potential as a global powerhouse in the reliable sourcing and supply of critical minerals and rare earth elements..They said critical minerals extraction and processing will continue to generate economic prosperity and create the potential to support high-value activities in the electric vehicle supply chain..The premiers also called on the federal government to take action to ensure the accelerated approval processes identified in Budget 2023 are implemented in a timely manner and to respect provincial and territorial jurisdiction over natural resources while working collaboratively with provinces and territories on their respective priorities..These include:.• Continuing to produce and supply ethical, sustainable and affordable Canadian energy and critical minerals to domestic and international markets;.• Maintaining and expanding critical energy infrastructure, including securing the future of Line 5;.• Investing in the clean energy infrastructure needed to realize Canada’s economic potential; and.• Ensuring predictable and streamlined federal impact assessments and regulatory regimes, without duplicating provincial and territorial processes..Also discussed were policies the federal government intends to impose including the Clean Fuel Regulations, the proposed Clean Electricity Regulations and a cap on oil and gas emissions..The premiers affirmed that electricity and energy regulation is the exclusive jurisdiction of provinces and territories and are taking action to reduce emissions..Federal policies must not infringe on their authority and must recognize their unique needs and situations. The premiers also discussed the impacts of these federal policies including overlap, affordability and inflationary impacts, feasibility and attainability..The premiers called on the federal government to ensure federal climate policies recognize early and ongoing action by provinces and territories in these areas..Concerns were expressed that the federal Clean Electricity Regulations are unattainable and unaffordable for some jurisdictions given current technologies and timelines..At the conclusion of the meeting, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston assumed the Chair of the Council of the Federation. Nova Scotia will host the summer meeting of Canada’s Premiers on July 15 to 17, 2024.
