Alberta Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schulz said the government’s response to the Canadian government’s proposed oil and gas emissions cap is bold because it has to be. Additionally, Schulz said the emissions cap “isn’t about emissions — it’s about [Justin] Trudeau’s NDP-Liberals sabotaging Alberta to score political points with their eco-activist friends.”“They thought we’d roll over,” said Schulz in a Thursday email to Alberta United Conservative Party supporters. “They were wrong.”After years of trying to reason with the Canadian government, Schulz said Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the government’s team have had enough. She said Trudeau and the Canadian government “are forcing through their so-called emissions cap — really a production cap designed to strangle Alberta’s energy industry and destroy our economy.” Because the Canadian government has refused to change, she said the Alberta government has had it. Under Smith’s leadership, she pointed out Alberta is hitting back harder than ever. The Alberta government will be taking measures to stop the overreach and protect the province’s future. This includes banning Canadian government officials from entering Alberta oil and gas facilities. She said the Canadian government has no right to interfere where it does not belong. It will be doubling pipeline capacity to get Alberta energy to global markets. Since the Canadian government will not do what is right, she said the Alberta government will have to. The Alberta government will be locking down emissions data and making it proprietary to it. Because the Canadian government has lied before, she confirmed it will not let it again. She vowed the Alberta government will not back down. While the fight is about what the Canadian government is doing, she said it is committed to building the political strength to see it through. Schulz concluded by saying the Canadian government does not care about Alberta, but the provincial government does. “Under Danielle Smith’s leadership, Alberta is fighting back — and we will win,” she said. The Alberta government said on Tuesday it will be fighting back against the Canadian government's proposed oil and gas emissions cap with the Alberta Sovereignty Act (ASA). .Alberta government unveils Sovereignty Act motion against feds' emissions cap .Smith said the Alberta government will be putting forward a motion under the ASA to ask the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for approval to shield the province if the emissions cap becomes law. “These actions could include an immediate constitutional challenge in the courts, a ban on provincial bodies enforcing the cap, labelling oil and gas production facilities as essential infrastructure subject to the Alberta Critical Infrastructure Defence Act, prohibiting the entry of all individuals into these facilities except those licensed to enter by the Alberta government, and declaring all information related to greenhouse gases at these facilities to be owned by Alberta’s government with data reported or disclosed at our discretion,” said Smith.
