OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — A delegation of some of Alberta’s most prominent business leaders gathered in Ottawa to warn Trudeau of the consequences of his net-zero emissions goal.
On October 4, a group of 48 CEOs, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders going by the name, “One Alberta, One Canada,” met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss the impact his fuel, energy and electricity regulations will have on Canadians.
“We share a lot of the aspirations of the federal government when it comes to decarbonization,” Cenovus Energy executive chair Alex Pourbaix told the Canadian Press prior to the meeting with Trudeau.
“But we have to have very, very thoughtful discussions about the pace of that, and the impact on Canadians in terms of what it is going to mean to our cost of living, and what it is going to mean to our quality of life.”
Trudeau addressed their concerns by taking thinly veiled jabs at “certain politicians,” by whom he seemed to have meant Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who has repeatedly pledged to fight the new regulations.
“Our government has made a significant commitment to being a partner with the business community in our collective work to build a clean economy. We’ve committed billions through investment tax credits for CCS, clean electricity and clean technology,” Trudeau said.
“Unfortunately, there are politicians who’d rather rile up people’s fears and anxieties,” he charged. “Instead of focusing on what we can do, what we need to do to secure a strong future for our economy. We need to make the very best use of the know-how of our energy industry and energy workers so we can make sure that Canada continues to lead.”
According to the organizers, the group of Alberta economic development agencies, chambers of commerce, and policy organizations is the largest business delegation to have arrived in Ottawa from Alberta in recent memory.
“I don’t know the last time I ever recall this big a group of executives and companies coming to Ottawa,” said Pourbaix.
“We’re first trying to educate people out here about the diversity of businesses and opportunity in Alberta – and on top of that, you know, there are a lot of issues at play right now,” he added.
Smith herself applauded the business leaders for taking the initiative to explain the situation to Trudeau, writing, “48 business leaders from Alberta headed to Ottawa to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. They’ve joined us in sharing concerns about Ottawa’s push for a net-zero electricity system by 2035 and an incoming cap on greenhouse-gas emissions.”
48 business leaders from Alberta headed to Ottawa to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. They’ve joined us in sharing concerns about Ottawa’s push for a net-zero electricity system by 2035 and an incoming cap on greenhouse-gas emissions.
Read more: https://t.co/kMWRlUjMfS pic.twitter.com/Ax61EKlIiW
— Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) October 4, 2023
During the meeting, Trudeau did admit that Canada’s future depends heavily on Alberta, saying, “Our government recognizes that for Canada to succeed, we need every region to succeed. And that in particular means Alberta.”
“Politics and other challenges have us divided or people pointing out differences, but the fact of the matter is we don’t build the right future for Canada if Alberta isn’t at the centre of everything we do,” he added.
However, Trudeau failed to address Alberta’s concerns that the energy transition is too fast and will likely leave Albertans without reliable energy in the winter.
The delegation came amid rising tensions between Alberta and Ottawa, as Smith has repeatedly refused to enforce Trudeau’s climate regulations at the cost of Albertans’ wellbeing.
Late last month, Smith announced that she is preparing to use her province’s Sovereignty Act to fight the energy regulations.
The draft version of the federal government’s Clean Electricity Regulations (CER) states that there will be billions of higher costs associated with a so-called “green” power transition, especially in the resource-rich provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, which use natural gas and coal to fuel power plants.
This May, Canada’s Minister of Environment Steven Guilbeault declared that violating environmental regulations banning the use of coal and gas-fired power after 2035 may even result in criminal sanctions, a statement which only increased the tension between the federal government and the provinces opposed to the proposed policies.
The Trudeau government also recently threatened to withhold billions of taxpayer money to provinces that will continue to use resources such as natural gas, oil and coal to generate electricity beyond 2035.
In addition to Smith, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has likewise promised to fight back against Trudeau’s new regulations, saying recently that “Trudeau’s net-zero electricity regulations are unaffordable, unrealistic and unconstitutional.”
“They will drive electricity rates through the roof and leave Saskatchewan with an unreliable power supply. Our government will not let the federal government do that to the Saskatchewan people,” he charged.
The Trudeau government’s current environmental goals – in lockstep with the United Nations’ “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” – include phasing out coal-fired power plants, reducing fertilizer usage, and curbing natural gas use over the coming decades.
The reduction and eventual elimination of the use of so-called “fossil-fuels” and a transition to unreliable “green” energy has also been pushed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) – the globalist group behind the socialist “Great Reset” agenda – an organization of which Trudeau and some of his cabinet are involved.