By Isaac Lamoureux
Alberta will not accept the federal government’s proposed emissions cap under any circumstances.
That was the message Alberta’s government relayed in a 24-page response to the federal government’s draft Regulatory Framework to Cap Oil and Gas Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
“The federal government’s proposed cap is ineffective, unconstitutional, and unacceptable,” said Alberta in the lengthy response.
Instead of managing emissions consistently across all regions and sectors, Alberta claims that the federal government is targeting a single sector and proposing a cap that will overwhelmingly hurt Alberta and negatively impact the entire country.
“Albertans will not accept this cap or the attack on its constitutional jurisdiction, economy, and citizens that the cap represents,” said the province in its response.
To accompany the response, Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz wrote a letter to her federal counterpart, Steven Guilbeault.
“This cap is not realistic or effective, will not achieve its grandiose emissions targets, and will not be tolerated in Alberta,” said Schulz.
Alberta’s response outlines the severe consequences that the proposed oil and gas emissions cap would bring. The response details how the cap violates the Canadian Constitution, the global implications, the impacts on Canadians, the technical and practical flaws in the cap’s framework, and Alberta’s plan.
As re-iterated by Schulz, Alberta has exclusive jurisdiction to manage the rate of non-renewable natural resources production and operational development in its province.
“[The cap] clearly violates Section 92A of the Constitution Act, 1867,” said the Alberta government in its response.
If the cap were implemented, Schulz said that this cap would have a devastating economic impact not only on Alberta but also on all of Canada.
The Conference Board of Canada’s analysis shows that the cap would reduce Canada’s GDP by up to $1 trillion between 2030 and 2040 and cause up to 151,000 jobs to be lost by 2030.