On Tuesday, Smith talked about drawing a line in the sand over the twin issues of the federally mandated oilpatch emissions cap and Ottawa’s move to a net-zero electricity system.Speaking at the Global Energy Show, the premier said she will sit down with Wilkinson and federal Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc to discuss the contentious energy and climate files.
The oil and gas sector is Canada’s largest emitting sector, but also a massive job creator and source of investment, taxes and royalties.Article content He noted the Pathways Alliance oilsands group is striving to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and believes it can curb them by about 30 per cent by the end of this decade.
Alberta passed legislation for a 100-megatonne emissions cap on the oilsands sector last decade, but never passed the regulations, in part because it was too difficult to figure out how to divide it up, noted Richard Masson, an executive fellow at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. Smith and Moe insist the issue falls fully within provincial responsibility, not Ottawa’s domain, and they will pursue a net-zero power grid by 2050.