As CBC News first reported on Friday, Daniel Smith’s government plans to implement sovereignty legislation on Monday to protect Alberta’s power companies from proposed federal clean power regulations.
Sources say the province plans to use controversial legislation to introduce a resolution in parliament that would declare Ottawa’s plan to reduce grid emissions an unconstitutional federal measure, and Alberta The government plans to clearly state how the regulations will not be enforced.
Smith confirmed the news on his Saturday morning radio show. your prefecture. your premier.
She said her frustration with the federal government prompted her to take action.
“We have tried to work with them to align their goals with ours,” she told a radio audience.
“We do not want to put operators at risk of going to jail if they fail to meet the goals set, but we believe it is unattainable. We have to have an affordable power grid.” We’re going to make sure we protect our constitutional jurisdiction to do that. ”
Mr Smith confirmed the resolution would be tabled for debate and approval in the United Conservative Party-dominated parliament on Monday. The government briefed power company executives on its intentions on Thursday.
Although the Smith government has repeatedly threatened to do so, this will be the first time it will actually implement the provocative law it passed last December. Officially called “Alberta Sovereignty within the Unitary Act of Canada,” Smith devised it as a way to allow the province to “push back against federal interference and encroachment” on provincial jurisdiction.
One of her consistent threats has been to block the Clean Electricity Regulation (CER), a set of rules designed to implement the Trudeau government’s net-zero grid plan by 2035. It is the use of the law. Power sources that emit when and how they are released, such as Alberta’s natural gas-burning plants, will be available starting in 2035, but their use is not prohibited.
Protecting Alberta’s natural gas plants
Currently, the majority of Alberta’s electricity comes from natural gas, and Smith has vowed to do everything in his power to fight Ottawa’s plan, including $8 million in funding. . national advertising campaign He urged other Canadians to fight as well.
Alberta’s federal plan calls for a net-zero grid by 2050 instead of 2035. Canada has committed to making its entire economy carbon neutral by 2050.
After soft-pedaling on any talk of invoking sovereign law during last spring’s election, the government reiterated its earlier warning in last month’s Throne Speech. The document cited “several motions” that set out efforts to protect jurisdiction “if the federal government continues on its current path.”
Smith on Wednesday reiterated his commitment to fighting Ottawa’s 2035 regulations.
“We know we have constitutional jurisdiction and we know they are acting outside of that,” the prime minister told a news conference.
CBC News has not yet seen the text of the Sovereignty Act resolution, which is being prepared for public release and debate in Parliament.
It’s not clear exactly how the United Conservative Party plans to give Alberta the power to block enforcement of federal rules. This is because the only effect of sovereign law resolutions concerns state employees and agents of state-controlled organizations and whether they enforce federal regulations or laws.
New regulations still in draft stage
The Sovereignty Act would allow MLAs and Parliament to deem federal CERs to be “unconstitutional” or “detrimental” to Alberta, but the regulations are currently not legally enforceable and are only in draft form. , there is no clear timeline for when it will come into effect. Final regulations are expected to be announced.
but first law The bill passed by Smith allows it to be used for any “federal initiative,” even if it is only “proposed or anticipated.”
After the incident, Smith became increasingly vocal about Ottawa’s “unlawful conduct.” Recent Supreme Court decisions This means that much of the federal impact assessment law intrudes into state jurisdiction. However, legal experts say the ruling It won’t have any effect Electric grid regulation relies on a different type of federal authority.
The provincial government has not discussed plans to invoke the Sovereignty Act with Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, nor is it being raised at the ongoing Alberta-Ottawa Task Force meeting, a spokesperson for the minister said.
“The purpose of the Clean Power Regulation is to bring clean, reliable electricity to every region of Canada in a way that is affordable to ratepayers,” Communications Director Sabrina Kim said in an email. “We will continue to work on the draft regulations in good faith.”
