Premier Danielle Smith warned that strict federal “greenwashing” laws are choking off investment needed to build Alberta’s LNG industry and undermining Canada’s competitiveness on the world stage.Speaking at a Q&A after her keynote address at the Global Energy Show in Calgary Wednesday, Smith said the federal government’s “greenwashing” crackdown, referencing the Competition Act amendment introduced by Bill C-59, unfairly burdens Alberta’s oil and gas sector.The law criminalizes “false” or “misleading” environmental claims by companies or individuals and can include penalties such as fines and jail time.“That’s part of the reason you’re seeing the autonomous sentiment among many Albertans,” said Smith.“People feel they are being punished and regulated out of existence by Ottawa’s overreach.”.Smith linked these federal policies to a chilling effect on investment in Alberta’s energy projects, including liquefied natural gas and pipelines. Smith contrasted current realities with a lost opportunity worth half a trillion dollars, pointing to stalled pipelines and canceled projects due to federal red tape and hostile climate policies.“The last man standing with the Trans Mountain pipeline had to be built by the federal government because no one was willing to do it. So we cannot persist with the status quo,” said Smith.“The status quo is what is killing investment.”“Let's fix those bad policies. Not only wouldn’t that have the effect of dampening the autonomous sentiment that we’re seeing among many Albertans, but it would also be good for the country, and it would also turn around the negative investment climate that we’ve earned a reputation for in the country.”.Smith also expressed guarded optimism about Prime Minister Mark Carney, noting he is a former banker with ties to Conservative governments. She said she is hoping he will adopt a more pragmatic stance on energy policy.“The model we’ve been going on — suppressing wealth creation and suppressing the economy — is just not working for us,” Smith said.“Let’s try something different. Let’s see if we can work together to unleash all the power that we have in the private sector.”Smith also emphasized Alberta’s competitive advantage in carbon engineering technology.“If we can maintain a pricing structure on our industrial pricing that is reasonable and does not interfere with growth, knowing that our largest competitor and trading partner in the United States is trying to get the same investments, but also knowing that our customers in Europe and Asia want to have a decarbonized product, then we can grow both industries at the same time,” Smith said.
