Blindsided. Back bitten. Hurt feelings, even.That’s how Ottawa’s point men on climate change are taking Alberta’s decision to invoke the Sovereignty Act in response to its proposed clean energy regulations.Reaction to Alberta’s action was swift on Monday, after Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said he was “bewildered” by the move and Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault vowed to press on with punitive clean energy regulations.In a joint statement late Monday, Guilbeault and Wilkinson accused Premier Danielle Smith of “choosing to create fear and uncertainty over collaboration and positive results for Albertans.”.“It’s a bit bewildering to be be honest for me,Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.Despite what they called “highly productive” joint round table meetings, “at no point in time did the Alberta government, including representatives from the Premier’s office, raise the Premier’s intent to introduce this Sovereignty Act motion on the draft regulations during these meetings,” it said.“The Premier has instead chosen to spend millions of hard-earned Albertan taxpayer dollars on a national anti-clean electricity advertisement campaign that has no basis in fact. Today’s decision by the Premier is thus unnecessary and appears to be entirely politically driven.”In a subsequent interview with the Canadian Press, Wilkinson said “it’s a bit bewildering to be be honest for me, in the context of so much good progress being made.”For his part, Guilbeault held a press conference of his own within moments of the announcement defiantly proclaiming Ottawa would stay the course on its confrontative energy stance..“There’s no basis for any of the claims that Premier Smith has made about the impact that would have on rates in Alberta, the impact it would have on grid reliability,” Guilbeault told reporters.And he continued to insist the draft regulations are just that — proposals that aren’t carved in stone.“Not once in many meetings that we’ve had with them have they raised the Sovereignty Act motion, which jeopardize the collaboration that we’ve had so far,” he continued. “The draft regulations are exactly that — draft regulations — because we want to have conversations with provinces, territories, indigenous representatives and other stakeholders.”It comes amid what is sure to be a face-to-face confrontation over energy policy as Smith prepares to fly to the Middle East for the COP28 summit in Dubai next week.Later today her office is expected to release an itinerary that is expected to include stops in Doha, Qatar and even Saudi Arabia — she developed a positive rapport with the Saudi energy minister at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary in September — along with plans to unveil an incentive plan to attract potentially billions of dollars in new investments.
Blindsided. Back bitten. Hurt feelings, even.That’s how Ottawa’s point men on climate change are taking Alberta’s decision to invoke the Sovereignty Act in response to its proposed clean energy regulations.Reaction to Alberta’s action was swift on Monday, after Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said he was “bewildered” by the move and Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault vowed to press on with punitive clean energy regulations.In a joint statement late Monday, Guilbeault and Wilkinson accused Premier Danielle Smith of “choosing to create fear and uncertainty over collaboration and positive results for Albertans.”.“It’s a bit bewildering to be be honest for me,Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.Despite what they called “highly productive” joint round table meetings, “at no point in time did the Alberta government, including representatives from the Premier’s office, raise the Premier’s intent to introduce this Sovereignty Act motion on the draft regulations during these meetings,” it said.“The Premier has instead chosen to spend millions of hard-earned Albertan taxpayer dollars on a national anti-clean electricity advertisement campaign that has no basis in fact. Today’s decision by the Premier is thus unnecessary and appears to be entirely politically driven.”In a subsequent interview with the Canadian Press, Wilkinson said “it’s a bit bewildering to be be honest for me, in the context of so much good progress being made.”For his part, Guilbeault held a press conference of his own within moments of the announcement defiantly proclaiming Ottawa would stay the course on its confrontative energy stance..“There’s no basis for any of the claims that Premier Smith has made about the impact that would have on rates in Alberta, the impact it would have on grid reliability,” Guilbeault told reporters.And he continued to insist the draft regulations are just that — proposals that aren’t carved in stone.“Not once in many meetings that we’ve had with them have they raised the Sovereignty Act motion, which jeopardize the collaboration that we’ve had so far,” he continued. “The draft regulations are exactly that — draft regulations — because we want to have conversations with provinces, territories, indigenous representatives and other stakeholders.”It comes amid what is sure to be a face-to-face confrontation over energy policy as Smith prepares to fly to the Middle East for the COP28 summit in Dubai next week.Later today her office is expected to release an itinerary that is expected to include stops in Doha, Qatar and even Saudi Arabia — she developed a positive rapport with the Saudi energy minister at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary in September — along with plans to unveil an incentive plan to attract potentially billions of dollars in new investments.
