Following United Conservative Party leadership candidate Danielle Smith assertion that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is hiring “climate cops,” CTV News attacked the claims as "incorrect" and "dangerous.".“It’s another conspiracy theory that’s being spread,” said Duane Bratt, a political scientist with Mount Royal University, who was quoted in the story. “It’s dangerous rhetoric and she put that out after the verbal attack on Chrystia Freeland.".On Sunday, Smith made a Tweet questioning whether the Liberal government was hiring Climate Change Enforcement Officers. "As Premier, we will not permit any Federal climate cops to operate in Alberta by virtue of the Alberta Sovereignty Act," she said..Smith was referring to an Indeed job posting with Environment and Climate Change Canada for Enforcement Officers. The job posting says Environmental Enforcement Officers will "enforce the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and the pollution prevention provisions of the Fisheries Act.”.The officers will work in a variety of indoor and outdoor environments, including “remote outdoor locations.” They will also be required to wear uniforms and carry safety equipment such as body armour, handcuffs, baton and prohibited weapons such as OC spray..In a statement, Environment Canada said enforcement officers have the same powers and protections as peace officers..“They have the authority to issue enforcement actions. In order to work as officers, in addition to their other education/training, they complete 16 weeks of standardized enforcement training and ongoing training to maintain the certifications and skills required for their designations,” the statement said..But despite Environment Canada's confirmation that Climate Change Enforcement Officers will have a few same powers as police officers, CTV News continued calling Smith's claim misinformation..“It’s a mixture of a whole bunch of lies, but if you’re absolutely convinced that there’s nefarious motives behind the federal government, it doesn’t matter what’s in the job ad,” Bratt said..Smith is not the only one referring to these new recruits as "climate cops." Keean Bexte of Counter Signal recently reported on a new Ministry of Environment & Climate Change Canada facility being build in Winnipeg, which will house a firearms armoury, biological labs, intelligence facilities, and "controlled quiet rooms.".Bexte said the "climate police armoury" is sketched to be over 50,000 square feet, and will house hundreds of staff. "If you emit too much carbon or use too much fertilizer, you may just be on the Climate Communists’ hit list," he said.
