It’s the final straw.Alberta’s Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schulz is sounding off on her federal counterpart Steven Guilbeault’s plans to cap the production of plastics in Canada.Guilbeault is in Ottawa this week with representatives from 176 countries trying to hammer out a UN-sponsored treaty to eliminate plastic waste in less than 20 years..But Schulz said he’s gone too far by advocating a 75% cut in plastics production by 2040. In the negotiations Guilbeault has promised regulations in Canada to require minimum amounts of recycled content in plastics as well as outright production caps. He has suggested commitments to back up those promises could come during the treaty talks.And Guilbeault said he’s unswayed by a federal court ruling last fall that determined designating plastics as a ‘toxic’ substance was too broadly applied to items such as single-use items such as straws, grocery bags and takeout containers.“We want an ambitious treaty,” he told The Canadian Press. "We want to move as rapidly as possible to eliminate plastic pollution. I mean, the collective goal we've set for ourselves is to do it by 2040, but I think both from an environmental and a health perspective, the sooner the better."The Organization for Economic Co-operation says global plastic production grew from 234 million tonnes in 2000 to 460 million tonnes in 2019, while plastic waste grew from 156 million tonnes to 353 million tonnes.Even in Canada, 80% is landfilled. Plastic packages from Canadian products have been found as far away as Myanmar. .But Schulz noted that plastics are found in virtually every “modern convenience and necessity” from surgical gloves to iPhones. And not surprising, the majority are made from petrochemicals originating in Alberta.She said Guilbeault’s proposal would risk billions of dollars in investments including projects such as Dow Chemical’s $9 billion net-zero petrochemical plant in Fort Saskatchewan along with thousands of jobs.“His proposal will also fail to reduce plastic production. If the federal government limits plastic production in Canada, other counties like China will just produce more. The only outcome that this federal government will achieve will be fewer jobs in Canada,” she said.“Minister Guilbeault’s decision to cap production is even more egregious and is equally unconstitutional. Under no circumstances will Alberta permit any limit on our ability to produce and export plastic products.”.“If the federal government refuses to abide by the constitution, we will take them to court again to defend our jurisdiction and the thousands of Albertans who work in the petrochemical sector.”Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz.And Schulz said Alberta would be more than willing to take the matter to the Supreme Court, where the federal government has already lost decisive battles on environmental assessments.“If the federal government refuses to abide by the constitution, we will take them to court again to defend our jurisdiction and the thousands of Albertans who work in the petrochemical sector.”
