Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she is "puzzled" by the Trudeau government's latest "Just Transition" proposals, adding some of the things not mentioned in the plan are "nonsensical.".On Friday, the Liberals released their new plan, which they are calling the Sustainable Jobs Action Plans..“I am puzzled by the federal government’s just published ‘Just Transition Plan’ (now rebranded as the ‘Sustainable Jobs’ Plan) and will be in contact with the federal government in the coming weeks to discuss a number of issues identified in it," said Smith in a Friday afternoon statement.“Although I note the Plan recognizes that Canada’s oil and gas sector is working towards lowering emissions through investing in emerging clean technologies and will be an important source of the world’s energy for decades, our government is perplexed by the blatant exclusion of any federal strategy to aggressively increase LNG exports to obtain emissions credits (under international agreements) for replacing higher emitting fuels around the world with Canadian LNG while simultaneously driving economic growth in Alberta and Canada."“This LNG export strategy, when combined with accelerated proliferation of CCUS, small modular nuclear reactors and other clean technologies will, by themselves, achieve Canada’s emissions reduction targets while maintaining growth in the energy industry for decades. The omission of any LNG strategy in this Plan is completely nonsensical."Smith said she has "grave concerns" there is no recognition in the Liberals' plan that provinces have constitutional control over natural resources."Alberta has not been involved in any such approvals, nor included in the development of the Plan published today. This kind of dysfunctional communication by the federal government with our province cannot continue if Canada is to have any chance of achieving its 2050 emissions reduction targets."“Once again, Alberta invites the federal government to come to the table in good faith to collaborate on a strategy to meaningfully reduce Alberta’s emissions while increasing investment in the Alberta energy sector; but this continued pattern of unilateral federal action in areas of provincial jurisdiction must stop immediately."Smith said "Alberta remains alarmed at the continued focus in this Plan on the federal ‘Emissions Reduction Plan’ (ERP) which aims to mandate reductions in emissions by 40% below 2005 levels by 2030. This accelerated and arbitrary target is simply not viable or achievable without significant production cuts that will permanently devastate Alberta’s and Canada’s economy and freeze tens of billions in energy investment overnight."“The ERP, as previously outlined by the federal government, would be a policy package of economic destruction to the Alberta and Canadian economies unlike any previous federal policy in our province’s history."Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O’Regan Jr., released the Government of Canada’s interim Sustainable Jobs Plan on Friday towards their goal of "Just Transition."This interim plan for 2023-2025 sets an initial frame for the Sustainable Jobs Action Plans that will be released every five years, starting in 2025.The Government of Canada’s first Sustainable Jobs Action Plan will be developed over the next two years in close collaboration with provinces and territories, indigenous partners, labour partners, industry, and other key partners to guide efforts over the coming years and decades.This interim plan defines the federal government’s commitment to making progress on 10 key action areas:Establish the Sustainable Jobs SecretariatCreate a Sustainable Jobs Partnership CouncilDevelop economic strategies through the Regional Energy and Resource TablesIntroduce a sustainable jobs stream under the Union Training and Innovation ProgramAdvanced funding for skills development toward sustainable jobsPromote indigenous-led solutions and a National Benefits-Sharing FrameworkImprove labour market data collection, tracking and analysisMotivate investors and draw in industry leaders to support workersCollaborate and lead on the global stage andEstablish legislation that ensures ongoing engagement and accountability.The Liberals claim Just Transition is an essential component of the fed's strategy for "building a sustainable, prosperous economy for years and decades to come.""The plan represents a first step, not an endpoint," the Liberal government stated.
