The Alberta-Ottawa relationship over the past seven years has been a “catastrophe,” said Premier Danielle Smith..Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his sidekick Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault have shown Alberta’s energy sector “absolute hostility,” said Smith during a recent interview on the Jordan B. Peterson podcast..They cling to policies that control and economically cripple Alberta, while the province is obliged to keep filling the transfer payment pot Ottawa dips its ungrateful pudgy fingers into..Peterson said Ottawa can’t continue to have it both ways. “It seems a bit much to both have to deliver the money that’s produced by the oil and gas industry and also to have the oil and gas industry demonized and shut down.”.In the face of an imminent global energy crisis, which Alberta has ample resources to help alleviate, this Ottawa duo shows no sign of easing up on green energy-fixated goals..“Even in this environment, because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine we’re facing massive disruption in our supply chains, massive disruption in our ability to get a secure supply of energy, massive disruption in affordability for our citizens all around the world, great fears about what might happen in winter in Germany,” said Smith..“If we don’t fill this gap — if reason hasn’t set in with that as a backdrop — then we owe it to the world to take the lead in making sure we provide energy security as well as energy affordability. We can’t wait for the federal government to negotiate this on our behalf.”.For years Alberta has struggled to find new markets and “stymied at every single step,” said Smith..She pointed to cancelled transmission projects and billions wasted in the regulatory process..Peterson applauded Smith’s proposal to bypass Ottawa and team up with Saskatchewan and Manitoba to work out a plan to ship oil to Europe through ports in the Churchill area..“We were prepared to work collaboratively with the federal government taking the lead. And now we’re going to take the lead,” said Smith. “I recently wrote a letter to Scott Moe, the premier of Saskatchewan and to Heather Stefanson, the premier of Manitoba, because if we could get an economic trade route along our northern territories, between our three provinces, we can get access to a port that will allow us to export our products internationally.”.Smith said the governments would in advance clear regulatory hurdles proponents of pipelines had to fight that cost them billions of dollars, address environmental issues, and work with First Nations communities..“We've got a fantastic relationship with our First Nations communities, of which 100 of them are oil and gas producers themselves. They want to get their product to market too.”.Peterson expressed little faith in Ottawa..“I think, is that given the severity of the energy crisis that's confronting Europe... If that in and of itself isn't enough to wake up the people who are putting the brakes on nuclear power and on liquid natural gas development, then nothing short of mass starvation is going to wake them up, and probably not even that,” said Peterson..“And so, it does look to me like the iron is hot and it's time to strike it.”.“And not only I think could the West do an excellent job of this — Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta — but I think that triad provinces would find tremendous amount of international support for doing so.”.It would be strategic to look for allies in Europe, the UK, and the United States that “would put their full weight behind such projects and those people definitely do exist.”.“It would be lovely to see Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba form a coalition that had the kind of political power and population that could serve as a buttress against the centralists and the people in the east who think they don’t need oil and gas or energy, except they still want the money from the west.”.“It’s so appalling that attitude that it’s almost indescribable.”.Since the 1960s Albertans have supported the rest of Canada with more than $600 billion in transfer payments..“The fact that we haven’t put up a fuss before now is because we realized there was a partnership with the rest of the country. That we would develop our resources, we would ship them to Eastern Canada. Eastern Canada would use our energy to develop products that we would need, we would purchase them back,” said Smith..“They’ve now broken that compact.”.Peterson said when he lived in Alberta years ago, he was “fairly federally inclined.” But after living in the east and watching what has happened to Alberta and Saskatchewan, especially over the past decade, he’s not so sure..“The arrangement just makes less and less sense, especially now, especially given what’s been happing on the oil and gas front. It’s so pathological.”.“The green types, they don't even support nuclear power, they don't support liquid natural gas. The fact that Americans used fracking allowed the US to cut its carbon dioxide admissions 15%. from 2000 to 2015, or think it was 12%... And the Greens oppose fracking, and they oppose nuclear, and so looking for logic in that rat’s nest of what would you say Utopian moralizing is absolutely pointless.”.Smith said Albertans have had enough..“And as a result, we have to take some dramatic steps in order to save confederation, to get the country working like it was originally intended to work.”.Hence, her proposed Alberta Sovereignty Act..Since then, Scott introduced the Saskatchewan First Act. Bill 88 has the same goal of asserting provincial autonomy over all matters the 1867 Constitution Act assigned to the provinces..“I know the Conservatives in Quebec are pretty interested in Alberta’s push for increased provincial sovereignty, so it’s not as if you’d only be speaking for Albertans when you talk about a more distributed balance of powers in this county, united country, of ours,” said Peterson..But Albertans have long been fed up. So what? Ottawa isn’t just getting stern letters, pleas, and complaints anymore..As Peterson explained to his international audience, Trudeau now must deal with a “firebrand from Alberta, Canada’s version of Texas,” who is putting her “government in order” and preparing “to do battle” with Ottawa.
