Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tells Trudeau the oil and gas industry will not be ‘phased out’
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A meeting between the two Canadian leaders was not a cordial one, as evidenced by an awkward handshake.
(LifeSiteNews) – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith gave Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a frosty reception in their first public face-to-face meeting yesterday, telling him bluntly that oil and gas are here to stay and that her province will not allow attacks on its energy industry to continue through his “just transition” green energy agenda.
“I did write a letter to the Prime Minister a couple of weeks ago expressing concern about some of the major initiatives that have been announced without much consultation with Alberta that stand to have a huge impact on our province of a ‘just transition,’” Smith said yesterday while meeting with Trudeau.
“It (the ‘just transition’ law) gives the impression that the energy sector is going to be phased, it’s not going to be phased out.”
Trudeau nodded his head the entire time while Smith was talking but did say before she spoke that he was looking to “support” Alberta energy workers, adding that the “world needs” Alberta energy.
Smith told Trudeau that any talk of an “early phaseout of natural gas” is not going to result “in a viable option for our province.”
She said to Trudeau that she was hoping to find some “common ground” on issues related to the province’s oil and gas sector.
Perhaps more tellingly that Smith was not pleased with how the Trudeau federal government has treated Alberta’s oil and gas sector was the handshake between the two that preceded their meeting.
Smith was clearly not interested in giving Trudeau attention, as could be deduced from their handshake.
A video of the awkward handshake has gone viral on social media. It shows Trudeau go to shake Smith’s hand, but then she can be seen backing her hand down and away before he forced his thumb on her hand.