For the second time in as many weeks federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault is trolling his Alberta counterparts on Twitter (“X”) in another rant that could be described as ‘triggered.’This time it was over a 6:30 video Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz posted exposing “the truth” about Ottawa’s oil and gas emissions cap and disputing the notion that it has anything to do with cutting emissions at all.In it, she calls Ottawa’s policies the ”biggest existential threat” to Alberta since the National Energy Program that will put thousands of people out of work.Amid the infamous videos of a younger Guilbeault being hauled off in his signature orange prison jumpsuit and cuffs for rappelling off the CN Tower, Schulz insists it has nothing to do with emissions and everything to do with cutting production and dismantling Alberta’s energy industry — something near and dear to his political sensibilities for decades..Guilbeault responds with another 2,520 character blast across nine threaded posts that include links to past Supreme Court decisions supporting the federal government’s right to impose a price on carbon and justify the emissions cap as policy that benefits all Canadians rather than single out one specific sector.That’s why he consistently refers to the emissions cap as “the cap on pollution” rather than what it is, a cap on production.Guilbeault goes on to blame Schulz and Premier Danielle Smith of preferring to “chart a more reckless course” amid drought and a summer of some of the worst wildfires on record — many of which have been attributed to arson in Quebec and Nova Scotia.Not content to stop there, he then goes on to accuse Smith’s government — and even Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre — of “spreading misinformation” while warning municipalities to cut water use.“They would rather twist the facts instead of working collaboratively to cut pollution,” he writes.“We cannot talk outside of both sides of our mouths on this. Both our governments, and the oil and gas sector, share the goal of carbon-neutrality by 2050. To get there, that STARTS with making sure we do not add new overall levels of pollution.”.And then he takes a similarly audacious step to accuse them of not cooperating with the federal government’s climate policies — when in fact it’s Smith and Schulz who have bitterly complained that their own emissions reduction proposals have been given short shrift by both Guilbeault and the federal cabinet.“Instead of spreading misinformation, I think Canadians would prefer to see Danielle Smith and Poilievre actually coming forward with concrete policies that get to the heart of people’s concerns about ensuring a stronger, healthier and more secure future.”The Western Standard has reached out to UCP officials for comment.
