‘Not hyperbole’ Smith warns in Ottawa; offers to testify to Natural Resources Committee

Taking a page from James Stewart, Ms. Smith went to Ottawa on Monday and by all accounts shook up the town — and the Laurentian Elite — on a range of issues related to the Liberal government’s climate policies.Smith was in the nation’s capital to open an Alberta office for the first time since 2015, but she had a packed itinerary that focused on Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault’s “ridiculous” net-zero regulations.It also coincided with the release of the Alberta government’s official formal reaction to his proposed oil and gas emissions cap that was introduced at the COP28 summit in Dubai in December. Somewhere in between meetings with Guilbeault and his department, it was off to the Economic Club of Canada to “explain Alberta’s position” on those very same issues to a gathering of economists and bankers..That’s where she assured them her government will do everything it can to prevent a flight of capital away from both Alberta and the country in order to secure safe, reliable and affordable energy.In response to a question, she said those very same bankers are reluctant to invest in electricity due to the uncertainty caused by those regulations. And she’s even prepared to intervene directly to do it.“We may need to step in and de-risk those projects. It pains me to talk about having to set up a Crown Corporation, but if that's the only way that we can build reliable power, because of the uncertainty that Steven Guilbeault has created with his ridiculous Net Zero electricity regulations… we've got a real problem,” she said.“This is why when you see our signs and our advertising about no one wants to freeze in the dark in the middle of winter. It's not hyperbole, that's reality if we don't end up solving this problem.”.My phone is on”Alberta Premier Danielles Smith.Speaking to reporters, Smith said she would make time to speak before the House Natural Resources Committee that’s meeting in Ottawa today. That group, which is chaired by Calgary-MP George Chahal, has previously rebuffed her offer to do so while it seemed intent on embarrassing oil sands executives such as Suncor Energy’s Rich Kruger.“I would note that as I was in flight, the chair of the Natural Resources Committee asked me if I would appear before his committee to explain our renewables policy. And I would just like to accept that invitation,” she told reporters.“I know they have a packed schedule, I'd be delighted to join them. I do have time in my calendar. So my my phone is on.”

‘Not hyperbole’ Smith warns in Ottawa; offers to testify to Natural Resources Committee

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