Western Standard - Keeping the lights on in Alberta, the heat on the Trudeau Liberals

00:00:00.000 Good morning everyone and thanks for joining us. I'm pleased to be here with Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, Rebecca Schultz, and Minister of Affordability and Utilities, Nathan Newdorf.

00:00:09.600 Ottawa persists in trying to regulate and remake Alberta's electrical system from generation to transmission to distribution,

00:00:17.680 which will make life more expensive for families and put the reliability of our grid at risk. 0.58

00:00:23.060 And they're pushing ahead with their plan, even though Section 92A of the Constitution of Canada is clear that legislating and regulating the development of electricity falls within the jurisdiction of the provinces.

00:00:36.760 Alberta's government is committed to protecting Albertans from federal overreach.

00:00:40.880 That is why, this afternoon, I intend to table a resolution in the Chamber under the Alberta sovereignty within a United Canada Act.

00:00:50.280 We developed this legislation to shield the province from federal intrusions, and we're using it now because the consequences of this particular overreach would be so severe.

00:01:02.060 Alberta will bear the largest share of the expenses required to meet these absurd targets, and consumers and businesses will see their bills soar.

00:01:10.160 If the federal government has its way, many people will be left without electricity that they can pay for on a power grid that will fall short or even fail in a typical Alberta winter or summer.

00:01:22.800 We refuse to go along with this plan.

00:01:25.320 Albertans must have access to affordable and reliable power when and where they need it.

00:01:29.660 It's a matter of health and safety, and a matter of financial reality.

00:01:33.800 No one should have to choose between paying their utility bills or buying needed groceries.

00:01:38.380 But it's also a matter of law.

00:01:40.580 As I mentioned earlier, the Constitution is clear.

00:01:43.400 Electricity is a provincial responsibility.

00:01:46.400 The federal government would do well to remember that.

00:01:49.080 They have already lost two recent court battles in which their overreach into provincial jurisdiction was struck down by the courts.

00:01:56.900 Ottawa's approach is also at odds with reality.

00:01:59.700 Although Alberta leaves the country in renewable investment, we still cannot use it for the majority of our electricity needs.

00:02:06.960 For Albertans to have electricity they can count on, our province needs more baseload power from natural gas.

00:02:13.560 Alberta does not have extensive hydroelectric resources that they enjoy in other provinces.

00:02:18.940 We don't yet have nuclear, as they do in Ontario, and that will take a lot of time and money to get there.

00:02:25.800 Natural gas is the foundation of our electricity system in Alberta, and it will be for decades to come.

00:02:31.620 If we don't have enough natural gas baseload power in the coming years, we will have brownouts and blackouts in the dead of winter and in the hottest days of summer.

00:02:41.040 And electricity prices will be astronomical.

00:02:44.680 It's simply too massive a risk for Albertans and Alberta businesses, and it's a risk that we are facing thanks to Ottawa.

00:02:51.040 There are simply not enough natural gas projects coming on stream in Alberta.

00:02:55.640 And the main reason we haven't received enough new applications for natural gas generation is because the federal government has created uncertainty through its proposed electricity regulations, the Impact Assessment Act, and other destructive federal policies.

00:03:09.600 And even though they keep losing in court and in public opinion, it hasn't changed Ottawa's mind.

00:03:14.460 And they continue to push for their net-zero electricity grid by 2035.

00:03:20.060 And power providers don't want to move ahead with investments when they can't be sure that there will be any returns.

00:03:25.060 And they can't even be sure that they won't end up in jail.

00:03:27.940 So Alberta's government must act.

00:03:30.220 We can't put the stability of our electricity grid at risk.

00:03:33.280 This is why we're introducing a resolution under the Alberta Sovereignty Within the United Canada Act.

00:03:38.020 Our resolution will ask the legislature for approval to take several actions over the coming months.

00:03:43.380 It asks cabinet to order all provincial entities to refrain from enforcing or complying with the proposed federal electricity regulations.

00:03:52.100 This obviously doesn't include individuals or private corporations.

00:03:55.860 The resolution asks the government to work with partners like the Alberta Electric System Operator,

00:04:01.000 the Alberta Utilities Commission, industry, Indigenous communities, and consumers to reform the electric grid

00:04:06.820 with the goal to make electricity in this province more reliable and affordable.

00:04:11.480 And the resolution also urges government to partner with industry and other stakeholders

00:04:16.980 to study the feasibility of setting up an Alberta Crown Corporation

00:04:21.680 to maintain and secure additional, reliable, affordable electricity from natural gas

00:04:27.060 if the clean electricity regulations continue to scare away private investors from doing it themselves.

00:04:33.940 We believe in our private market and that Albertans have been well served by it.

00:04:38.360 We will continue to promote private electricity generation distribution and retail.

00:04:43.860 We will preserve the interest and value of the hundreds of billions of dollars of capital investment

00:04:49.240 made by Alberta's electricity system by private generators, transmitters, and distributors

00:04:54.280 and enable continued competition and attraction of private investment into Alberta's electricity sector.

00:05:00.020 However, we also know that Alberta's proposed electricity regulations, if they continue to move forward,

00:05:07.060 would simply put too many Alberta homes and businesses at risk.

00:05:10.700 We need to protect against that.

00:05:12.540 A Crown Corporation, as a provincial entity, could be directed to disregard the proposed federal electricity regulations,

00:05:19.980 if need be, and focus on ensuring we have sufficient electricity from natural gas

00:05:24.980 added to Alberta's grid if private generators are unable to do so due to the risks proposed by the clean electricity regulations.

00:05:34.020 In addition, if the CERs threaten the ability of private generators to continue producing electricity

00:05:39.860 at an existing power plant after 2035,

00:05:44.300 a Crown Corporation could potentially purchase that power plant to maintain that power on the grid

00:05:50.000 to keep the lights on in the province.

00:05:52.400 And it could also partner with investors to de-risk and develop nuclear power

00:05:57.240 and other emerging generation technologies in the province

00:06:01.640 as we move towards carbon neutrality by 2050.

00:06:05.800 These measures are not something that we want to do.

00:06:09.240 They are a plan to counteract the absurd, illogical, unscientific, and unconstitutional interference

00:06:15.660 in Alberta's electrical grid by a federal government that simply doesn't care what happens to our province

00:06:21.500 so long as they have a good virtue-signaling story to tell their leftist friends and special interests.

00:06:27.740 We would much rather work with Ottawa on meaningful ways to reduce emissions

00:06:32.660 while continuing to generate reliable, affordable electricity.

00:06:36.420 That's better for all Albertans and Canadians.

00:06:39.460 But we refuse to meekly accept actions which are so plainly destructive to Alberta's economy

00:06:45.740 and to the very safety and security of Alberta's citizens.

00:06:49.160 We will do whatever we must to stand up and protect the people of this province.

00:06:52.380 Russian

00:07:00.660 It is a burden of cost RCA

00:07:03.380 So I'm not sure where I'm trying to help you, but don't even think about them reproduce.

00:07:04.540 It's a burden of cost it is not quite an important burden, but your daqui is pronounced straight

Western Standard - November 28, 2023

Keeping the lights on in Alberta, the heat on the Trudeau Liberals

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