Hold the line..Barely a day after he kept his job in cabinet, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault was making policy proclamations over the telephone at a G20 meeting of environment ministers in India on Thursday..Specifically, Guilbeault told a Reuters reporter in a phone interview the Liberal government will impose final regulations to cap emissions from the oil and gas sector by mid-2024. The story was datelined from Singapore and crossed the wires at about 3 a.m. MDT..He said the government would table draft regulations in October and begin consultations with provinces, indigenous groups and “civil society” for implementation by the middle of next year..The idea of an emissions cap was first floated in the 2021 election campaign and includes the possibility of higher carbon taxes. It has faced bitter opposition from Alberta politicians and industry representatives who say it amounts to a de facto production cut..A report earlier this month by US consultants S&P Global suggested oil sands output alone would need to be slashed 25% or 1.3 million barrels per day to meet the target..In the interview, Guilbeault also proudly took credit for being the first to eliminate what he said were $1 billion in “subsidies” — or less than 1% of a $175-billion industry — for so-called “unabated” and “inefficient” emissions..“As per our Glasgow commitment, we eliminated last year international fossil fuel subsidies. Now we’re doing domestic,” Guilbeault said in the interview, referring to the Glasgow Climate Pact agreed at the COP26 summit in 2021.. GuilbeaultEnvironment Minister Steven Guilbeault, then and now. .Next on the agenda are regulations to ensure the country’s electrical grid is carbon neutral by 2035. Again, this was a serious point of contention in the provincial election campaign; Premier Danielle Smith and others suggest it can be done by 2050, not 2035. .Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has said his province will just ignore the requirement even if Guilbeault threatens to arrest him — as he did earlier this year..It’s bound to be a topic of discussion at the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment meeting in Ontario this week where Alberta’s Rebecca Schulz is meeting with her provincial counterparts. Both the issue of emissions caps and the power grid were already on the agenda before Guilbeault’s comments..“This is a key meeting and a chance for elected representatives from all levels of government to meet to address environmental challenges facing the entire country. The only way to make real progress cutting emissions and protecting our environment is for all levels of government to work together, as equals,” Schulz said in a press release..Separately, she refused to deliver a broadside to the Liberal government in an emailed statement to The Western Standard following Wednesday’s cabinet shuffle, although she has consistently and firmly told Guilbeault in public and in private that emissions caps are off the table..“We look forward to continuing to work with Minister Guilbeault, Minister Wilkinson and the rest of cabinet to lower emissions while creating jobs through responsible energy development,” she said. “Together, we will ensure Canada's emissions reduction goals and targets are achievable, affordable and beneficial for all Canadians.”
