WATCH: Sask United leader kicked out of legislature for accusing government of lying on coal power and net zero

A former Sask Party MLA was kicked out of the legislature for alleging the government is lying when it lauds the value of coal-fired power plants yet agrees to their closure.Nadine Wilson, Sask United leader and member for Saskatchewan Rivers, told the legislature the Sask Party government's "build and protect" slogan was more like "wreck and neglect" because of its pursuit of net zero emissions by 2050."The Saskatchewan people are blessed with a province rich in God-given natural resources, sitting on a goldmine of affordable and reliable energy, not just for Saskatchewan, but for all our neighbours as well. Yet this Saskatchewan party government wants to shut down coal, shut down natural gas. And it's dumping billions into failed green projects. Can this government find their feet to stand before this assembly in the Saskatchewan people and reject this this destructive policy of net zero by 2050?" asked Wilson..Minister of Crown Corporations and SaskEnergy Dustin Duncan replied, "It's really the Government of Canada, the Liberal government supported by the NDP, Mr. Speaker, who wants to shut down coal, who wants to shut down natural gas, Mr. Speaker and to want to put this province in a position where we saw just a couple of months ago in Alberta...where people nearly didn't have heat to heat their homes in the middle of the wintertime."Duncan said Saskatchewan also had the second largest uranium reserves in the world and his government was trying to position the province to benefit from the energy transition.Wilson replied, "I am tired of the misdirection and the doublespeak from the Sask Party government. The member from Cypress Hills stood up and led us to believe that the Sask Party government is pro-coal and pro- natural gas," Wilson said."This government's stated objective in their published documents is to kill--to kill our coal and natural gas with net zero by 2050 and replace it with wind and solar, which they know won't work. Are they just plain ignorant? Or are they straight up gaslighting and lying to the public about their agenda?"Speaker Randy Weekes asked Wilson three times to withdraw her comments and apologize, after which he had her removed from the legislature.SaskPower’s website states “In 2020, the Federal government set a target of net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. We're committed to reaching that target.”In a 90-second media scrum, Wilson said, "I am so tired of this government's misleading and lying to the public to the Saskatchewan people regarding their net zero projects and the impact that it will have on Saskatchewan and its people and its resources."As leader of Sask United I am totally against net zero and I will do everything to help the Saskatchewan public navigate against net zero policy."In a press release, Wilson added, "It's hypocrisy to celebrate helping Manitoba and Alberta with energy from resources they're closing, like the Estevan coal plant. Aligning with Trudeau's net-zero agenda, they risk our economic stability and way of life. I got kicked out of the legislature for voicing this, but it’s crucial for transparency about their damaging net-zero energy plan and its impact on Saskatchewan’s future," said Wilson."The people of this province could be the wealthiest in the country if our government chose to embrace the wealth of our natural resources rather than vilify them. Our province could be a beacon to the country to show how utilizing our resources can lead to prosperity."Canadian federal policy requires all conventional coal-fired power plants to be shut down by 2030. Last August, Ottawa announced $74 million in federal funding for a small nuclear reactor in Saskatchewan. Estevan is one of two potential locations, but a final decision on building a reactor isn't expected from the provincial government until 2029.

WATCH: Sask United leader kicked out of legislature for accusing government of lying on coal power and net zero

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