Latest news with #BillC-69
Calgary Herald
11-06-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith sees 'encouraging signs' in federal approach to energy
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith expressed optimism in Prime Minister Mark Carney's approach to energy at a Calgary conference. Article content However, speaking at the Global Energy Show, Smith said Carney 'has the ability to show leadership and be able to either substantially revise or completely eliminate some of those bad policies.' Article content Article content She later noted several policies, including the emissions cap, tanker ban and Bill C-69, among others. Article content Article content 'A lot of the people who imposed bad policies over the last 10 years are still in key positions in either his government or his caucus . . . I recognize that he has a real challenge on climbing down on some of them,' said Smith. Article content Article content For other policy changes, she acknowledged the 'large amount' of work and time it would take to repeal them. Article content 'I'm going to be optimistic,' said Smith, adding she hopes for change during the next legislative session this fall. Article content In addition to policy, Smith also noted a need for more 'nation-building' projects, pipelines in particular. Article content 'We need projects that go north to Grays Bay, that go east to Churchill, and also potentially a modern version of Energy East,' she said. Article content Article content Those routes would address Canada's geopolitical priorities and Arctic security, she added. Article content 'Alberta benefits tremendously from developing its energy to the fullest, but the rewards aren't limited to our province or a handful of companies — far from it. Everybody wins when Alberta realizes its full potential of its energy,' said Smith. Article content Article content 'I've seen encouraging signs that the prime minister is open to this thinking. Now we need to turn these ideas and these opportunities into action,' said Smith. Article content Perhaps the first step would be a couple of pipeline expansions, in particular Trans Mountain and something to the U.S., she said. Article content 'I know that the U.S. is quite interested in having this conversation with us about how to increase the supply of our oil going south. But then we've also seen the premiers come together, looking at a Port of Prince Rupert to Churchill energy corridor,' Smith said.
Calgary Herald
03-06-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
John Ivison: Premiers seem delighted just to finally be meeting with a grown-up prime minister
Article content The parade of premiers complimenting Mark Carney before and after the first ministers meeting in Saskatoon made for a curious spectacle. Article content Article content These events have tended to leave prime ministers looking like Oliver Twist handing over stolen goods to a roomful of Fagins and Artful Dodgers. Article content Yet this time the mood reflected what one senior Alberta official called 'a special moment': more about seizing a potentially transformative opportunity than squeezing the federal government for the maximum number of taxpayers' dollars. Article content Article content The gathering did not produce a definitive list of projects that will receive fast-track federal approval, but the Ontario premier said there was no expectation that it would. Article content Manitoba's Premier Wab Kinew said he will remain positive, even if his province's proposals do not appear on the list of national projects to be fast-tracked. Article content 'This is Team Canada. It doesn't matter if you're there for the puck drop or if you're killing penalties. At the end of the day, everyone's going to have their time on the ice and everyone is going to have a role in building up this great country,' he said. Article content Article content Scott Moe, the Saskatchewan premier, said he is in agreement with Carney's aspirational targets — making Canada the strongest economy in the G7 and building the country into a global energy superpower — but that words will have to be matched with action. He called the project-selection process 'a generational opportunity for Canadians.' That would require a regulatory shift to remove barriers to investment, but Moe acknowledged that the federal government is talking about introducing legislation that would circumvent the Impact Assessment Act (the former Bill C-69) that many blame for blocking projects. Article content Even Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, often an outlier among first ministers, said there seems to be an appetite for building pipelines to get oil to markets other than the United States. She said she was 'encouraged by the change of tone' evident in Saskatoon.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Grand bargain': Alberta Premier Danielle Smith 'encouraged' by federal government's change of tone when it comes to energy
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she is 'encouraged' by the federal government's change of tone when discussing energy following Monday's meeting with fellow premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney. Carney and Canada's 13 premiers gathered in Saskatoon on Monday to discuss the federal government's commitment to fast-tracking 'nation building' projects and breaking down internal trade barriers. He said there is 'real potential' for an 'oil pipeline to get to tidewater.' 'Within the broader context of national interest, the interest is in decarbonized barrels. It provides the development of new industries, it provides economic activity across the West and into the North. There's real potential there,' Carney said. 'We took up a good deal of our time and discussions and potential to move forward on that and, if further developed, the federal government will look to advance.' Smith has been vocal about her list of energy reform demands she wants Carney to address, including repealing Bill C-69 and lifting the emissions cap and said discussions will continue on that front. 'Let's call it the grand bargain,' Smith said in response to a question about pipelines. 'I think the point I was making to the prime minister and my colleagues is that there's lots of ways to decarbonize, but the Pathways Project is an expensive project. It would cost anywhere from $10 billion to $20 billion to get built and to make the economic case for that, having more egress with more barrels to be sold to Asia is the way to pay for it.' She said Carney's readiness to do a 'two-track process' to identify projects and eliminate barriers that are currently in place is also encouraging, pointing to ways of fixing the regulatory processes to make it easier to approve projects moving forward. 'I'm encouraged by the immediate change of tone that we've seen from recent months. I think that there's when we hear the prime minister talking about being an energy superpower. We haven't heard that kind of language for some time on both the conventional and clean power.' At the meeting Carney said leaders discussed a wide range of projects including the Western and Arctic corridor which connects energy critical minerals and trade infrastructure, the Eastern energy partnership and critical minerals pathways. Carney said a number of projects were discussed on Monday and are in various stages and will not all come at the same time. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said this was 'the best meeting' they've had in 10 years and now it's time to put the talking into action. 'I thought it was an incredible meeting, great communication, great collaboration, and we all walked out of that room united, and that's the most important thing. Now, the prime minister is going to go to work, get the legislation passed, and we'll divvy it up,' Ford said. ctran@ X:@kccindytran Premier Danielle Smith says Tuesday's throne speech falls short for Alberta when it comes to meeting energy reform demands Bell: Danielle Smith warns Carney — 'stop foot-dragging' and kill anti-oil policies Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.
Calgary Herald
02-06-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
'Grand bargain': Alberta Premier Danielle Smith 'encouraged' by federal government's change of tone when it comes to energy
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she is 'encouraged' by the federal government's change of tone when discussing energy following Monday's meeting with fellow premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney. Article content Article content Carney and Canada's 13 premiers gathered in Saskatoon on Monday to discuss the federal government's commitment to fast-tracking 'nation building' projects and breaking down internal trade barriers. He said there is 'real potential' for an 'oil pipeline to get to tidewater.' Article content Article content 'Within the broader context of national interest, the interest is in decarbonized barrels. It provides the development of new industries, it provides economic activity across the West and into the North. There's real potential there,' Carney said. Article content Article content 'We took up a good deal of our time and discussions and potential to move forward on that and, if further developed, the federal government will look to advance.' Article content Smith has been vocal about her list of energy reform demands she wants Carney to address, including repealing Bill C-69 and lifting the emissions cap and said discussions will continue on that front. Article content 'Let's call it the grand bargain,' Smith said in response to a question about pipelines. Article content 'I think the point I was making to the prime minister and my colleagues is that there's lots of ways to decarbonize, but the Pathways Project is an expensive project. It would cost anywhere from $10 billion to $20 billion to get built and to make the economic case for that, having more egress with more barrels to be sold to Asia is the way to pay for it.' Article content Article content She said Carney's readiness to do a 'two-track process' to identify projects and eliminate barriers that are currently in place is also encouraging, pointing to ways of fixing the regulatory processes to make it easier to approve projects moving forward. Article content Article content 'I'm encouraged by the immediate change of tone that we've seen from recent months. I think that there's when we hear the prime minister talking about being an energy superpower. We haven't heard that kind of language for some time on both the conventional and clean power.' Article content At the meeting Carney said leaders discussed a wide range of projects including the Western and Arctic corridor which connects energy critical minerals and trade infrastructure, the Eastern energy partnership and critical minerals pathways.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
OPINION: Ottawa and Carney must get serious and listen to the West
If Prime Minister Mark Carney doesn't listen to the West, it's going to cost Canada. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe are demanding that Ottawa stop stomping on their provinces' natural resource production. Smith is telling Carney to scrap the 'no more pipelines' law, Bill C-69, lift the cap on Alberta's energy and cancel the looming ban on the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles. Moe is stepping in sync with Smith, listing Saskatchewan's demands in a letter, calling for changes to the 'no more pipelines' law, saying, 'There are a few policies that are going to have to go.' Moe is also taking aim at the industrial carbon tax, saying, 'The tax can't be charged on the electricity for Saskatchewan families.' The new prime minister says he's listening. 'I intend to govern for all Canadians,' said Carney in his election victory speech. If that's true, Carney must heed the demands of Smith and Moe, because Ottawa's anti-West policies are damaging the economy and costing taxpayers a truckload of money. How much? Ottawa's cap on oil and gas emissions, which creates a cap on production, will cost the Canadian economy about $20.5 billion and slash 40,000 jobs by 2032, according to the parliamentary budget officer. Canada has seen nearly $670 billion in natural resources projects suspended or cancelled since 2015. To put that kind of money into perspective: $670 billion would pay for the salaries of hundreds of thousands of paramedics and police officers for a decade. That's the equivalent of the value of more than one million houses in Alberta or almost two million homes in Saskatchewan. That kind of money is worth the entire income tax bills for the populations of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba for about 10 years. That's just the lost money from natural resources. Carney's looming ban on the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles also has a huge price tag. Canada's vehicle transition could cost up to $300 billion by 2040 to expand the electrical grid, according to a report for Natural Resources Canada. If Carney is serious about boosting the economy and governing for all Canadians, then getting the government out of the way of natural resource projects and scrapping the expensive plan to stop people from buying new gas and diesel vehicles is a good first step. The West has been firmly asking for Ottawa to mind its own business for years. Cancelling the industrial carbon tax is another way for Carney to show he's serious about growing the economy and governing for all Canadians. On the same day Carney scrapped the consumer carbon tax, the Saskatchewan government dropped its industrial carbon tax to zero. 'By eliminating industrial carbon costs, which are often passed directly on to consumers, the province is acting to protect affordability and economic competitiveness,' said the Saskatchewan government's news release. Alberta's industrial carbon tax is now frozen. Increasing the tax above its current rate would make Alberta 'exceptionally uncompetitive,' according to Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz. Business groups in both provinces lauded each premier, saying it would make their industries more competitive and help bring down costs. When Ottawa forces businesses like fuel refineries or fertilizer plants to pay the carbon tax, they pass on those costs to taxpayers when they heat their homes, fill up their cars and buy groceries. If companies are forced to cut production or leave the country because of the industrial carbon tax and policies like the energy cap, it's regular Albertans and Saskatchewanians who are hurt the most through job losses. If Carney intends to govern for all Canadians, he needs to listen to Smith and Moe and scrap the policies that are set to cost taxpayers billions and eliminate tens of thousands of jobs. Kris Sims is Alberta director and Gage Haubrich is Prairie director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation
