Take one for the team..That was the message from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a speech to an Alberta business delegation to Ottawa Tuesday night, one of the largest in decades..And despite praising business leaders for being at the forefront of innovations such as carbon capture, he couldn’t resist taking a few shots at unnamed “politicians who would rather rile up people’s fears and anxieties instead of focussing on what we can do, what we need to do, to secure a strong future.”.Alberta has been known to send trade delegations to foreign countries to promote critical sectors of its economy. But it’s not often it has to send one to Ottawa to be granted an audience with the prime minister..Dubbed ‘One Alberta; One Canada’, around 50 local captains of industry — including C-suite executives of Canada’s major oil sands players — are gathering in the nation’s capital this week, ostensibly to promote “collaboration” on issues related to climate, energy and the economy..“We’re first trying to educate people out here about the diversity of businesses and opportunity in Alberta and on top of that, you know, there are a lot of issues at play right now,” Cenovus’ executive chairman and Pathways Alliance president Alex Pourbaix told the Canadian Press..It comes amid a deepening crisis between the federal Liberals and UCP government. Last week Alberta Premier Danielle Smith warned it was prepping a Sovereignty Act resolution in response to Ottawa’s proposed electricity regulations and a looming emissions cap on oil and gas..At the same time, the Alberta government unveiled a multi-million dollar ad campaign in several Canadian cities — including Ottawa — warning of ‘freezing in the dark’ in the middle of winter if those rules are allowed to pass..It also comes after the UCP detailed plans for a referendum on pulling out of the Canada Pension plan..In his speech, the prime minister paid lip service to those concerns. .“I know that politics and other challenges have us divided, or people pointing out differences,” Trudeau said. “The fact of the matter is, we don’t build the right future for Canada if Alberta isn’t at the centre of everything we do.”.But he said he “couldn’t resist” but to take a few shots of his own on issues such as the Canada Pension Plan and blame Alberta’s leadership for scaring away investment in its energy sector by denying the need for climate action..He seemed to have a particular emphasis on that word: “denial.” He’s used it often to describe critics, whether its with respect to truth and reconciliation, the expulsion of Indian diplomats or in this case, climate..“You know, the elephant in the room really is the environment,” he continued..“The politicians who’d rather deny the facts of the matter than take action to meet this moment are denying certainty to investors and business leaders, denying workers opportunities and denying our kids and grandkids the secure future they deserve.”
