Front Burner - Environmental rollbacks and Jason Kenney's 'summer of repeal'

Episode Date: May 23, 2019

A new legislative session just started in Alberta, under the leadership of Premier Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party. They're looking to introduce about a dozen bills, most of which will serve to dismantle climate initiatives implemented by the previous NDP government. Premier Kenney has even named this time ahead as the 'summer of repeal'. CBC Calgary's Allison Dempster explains what's at stake for Albertans, and how this might set up a much greater confrontation between the province and the federal government.

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Felt like a murderer had gotten away with something. Tell me now, did you have anything to do with the murder? Someone Knows Something with David Ridgen, Season 5. Now available. Go to cbc.ca slash sks. Hello, I'm Jamie Poisson. A new legislative session started in Alberta this week under new leadership. I request leave to introduce Bill 1, the Carbon Tax Repeal Act. Premier Jason Kenney and his United Conservative Party, the UCP, have plans for a pretty busy few months.

So much so, he's called it the Summer of Repeal. The UCP intends on introducing about a dozen bills, mostly to dismantle changes made by the previous NDP government, much of them having to do with the province's climate action plan. Mr. Speaker, our government is taking action to deliver on the commitment that we made to Albertans to repeal this tax grab, which is all economic pain and no environmental gain. Today, I'm talking to CBC Calgary's Alison Dempster, and we're going to chat about Jason Kenney's dismantling of climate initiatives in Alberta, and how this might set up a much greater confrontation between the province of Alberta and the federal government in an

election year. This is FrontBurner. Hi, Alison. Hi there, Jamie. Thanks so much for joining us. Actually, the last time we talked, it was when Jason Kenney was elected over a month ago now. That was right. Yes, glad to be back on the show. So let's talk about the summer of repeal. So the UCP is very speedily dismantling much of what Rachel Notley's NDP government did in four years in regards to climate change. And this won't come as a surprise to a lot of people.

He talked about this a lot when he was campaigning. It's our commitment to repeal the NDP's provincial carbon tax immediately upon forming office. The solution is not punishing consumers for living normal lives in a cold environment. But how much is he dismantling and just how quickly is he doing it? Yeah, I mean, for months now, Jason Kenney has been talking about this summer of repeal. So now we get to the nitty gritty of what that entails. And their agenda is pretty chock-a-block.

I mean, the legislature will break for stampede, of course. Those pancakes aren't going to flip themselves. But it looks like they're going to move at a pretty brisk pace. There is already a kill date for the provincial carbon tax. That happens on May 30th. The UCP is also expected to pull the plug on other environmental policies the NDP brought in. The NDP had in their climate plan

a phase out of all Alberta's coal-fired power plants by 2030. Our goal is to become one of the world's most progressive and forward-looking energy producers. They also committed to having 30% of electricity generation coming from renewables by 2030. So the United Conservatives are scrapping those plans. Instead, they're talking about putting a tax on large emitters to try to make sure coal-fired plants ramp down emissions or switch to relatively cleaner natural gas. We're trying to come up with a more intelligent approach. We're taking the clean natural gas as the baseline.

And the further away you are from that, the more of a tax you'll pay as a major industrial emitter. And the UCP says it will cancel those renewable energy subsidies that were brought in by the NDP as well. The premier says he favours a market-based approach. But this idea that they're going to put taxes on large emitters, are people saying that this is a good replacement? Yeah, it depends on where you sit. If you're in one of those coal communities, a community that mines coal or has you're in one of those coal communities,

a community that mines coal or has workers working in one of those plants, those are good jobs and those communities sort of appreciate having more of a buffer. Some of those plants were winding down before 2030 anyways. So those communities did not appreciate the NDP sort of rushing things in their view. But for environmental critics, phasing out coal plants is one thing that would make a huge difference to Alberta's emissions. And that should be job number one in a lot of their minds. So I want to get to a second, how this is affecting Albertans and also businesses in the province. But first, you know, he's also looking to challenge federal bills too, right? Yeah, yeah. There's Bill C-69, which Kenny calls the No More Pipelines Bill.

The No More Pipelines Act Bill C-69. This bill does not need a nip and tuck. It needs a complete reconstructive surgery. Or it needs to be put out of its misery. You know, you can expect more sort of fireworks on that front. So there's a lot that's being rolled back here and also some attempts to challenge other bills. And is the carbon tax the biggest deal here? Yeah, I would say it is the key change the UCP is making.

I mean, it's the first thing Jason Kenney promised to do. It has implications nationally. I mean, Ottawa has said it will bring in a federal carbon levy if Alberta's tax is dismantled. And Kenney has promised to fight a federally imposed carbon price. We will launch a judicial reference challenging the constitutionality of the federal carbon tax at the Alberta Court of Appeals. The stage is set for a showdown there. And repealing the carbon tax will have ripple effects within the province. There are various transit and renewable energy projects

that hinge on the funding that was supposed to come from the carbon tax. For example, there's a light rail transit line here in Calgary that the former NDP government planned to put some carbon levy money towards, $1.5 billion. An investment that makes sense. For the 30,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, it will eliminate every year. For the 20,000 jobs, it will create and support. The UCP says it will still chip in for the project,

but the money is going to have to come from somewhere else. And we have to wait to find out more about where that financing will come from because we won't see a budget from the new government until the fall. Is Jason Kenney planning on keeping any of the NDP's climate plans intact? Well, one thing I'm curious about is what he plans to do about oil sands emissions. The NDP climate plan included an emissions cap, or at least a plan for a cap down the road. And there have been mixed signals from the UCP on this one. At one point, reporters during the campaign were told the UCP would cancel that cap.

It would be axed along with the rest of the climate plan. But the party later insisted it was not part of the official platform either way. Kenny has said it's not part of his immediate plans. I indicated to Prime Minister Trudeau when we spoke that we would be happy to sit down with the federal government and try to see common ground on a variety of issues. You'll remember the cap was a condition of Ottawa's approval of the Trans Mountain Pipeline. So it's interesting that Kenny seems to be leaving himself

some wiggle room here. Right, so that he could possibly use this for negotiating purposes later on. Exactly. And you mentioned before that they're talking about taxing large emitters. Does he have any other plans to combat climate change? Yeah, it mostly centers on putting limits on emissions from large industrial facilities. So they'd have to meet those limits or face a tax per ton. And that money would go to a fund for climate projects. And this is an incentive for big business to reduce carbon intensity and for us to get technology that we can then share with the

rest of the world. The carbon challenge is not an Alberta issue alone. It's a global issue. We don't know a lot about what these climate projects would be. Possibly they'd involve carbon capture storage. But yeah, we'll have to wait to find out more about the government strategy here. And of course, the NDP opposition and other critics, to them, this is a big step backwards, Jamie. Not just for the environment, but for the energy industry too, they argue. You know, they say without a beefier plan to reduce carbon pollution, Alberta becomes a target for environmental critics or even more of one. You know, we lose ground when we're trying to pitch a pipeline like Trans Mountain to the rest of the country.

Conservatives dismiss that social license reasoning. You know, they point to the Trans Mountain pipeline delays as evidence that it does not work. You know, they point to the Trans Mountain pipeline delays as evidence that it does not work. So we can expect a lot more debate on that over the summer, particularly as the federal election approaches. And, you know, we're already in the middle of wildfire season. The town of High Level has just issued an evacuation order because of danger posed by an out-of-control wildfire. Forecasters are looking at how much rain is going to be expected into the future. There isn't as much as normal, so this leads to a relatively dangerous situation in terms of wildfires.

And what are Albertans expecting from him? What do they want from him right now? From his supporters, at least. They want to see someone going in there and pounding the table on their behalf. That's what I heard over and over during the election campaign, someone to stand up to Ottawa. That was their very common refrain. Our province is hurting big time. And I don't think that we've had the help in this province that we need for the oil and gas industry.

I work for an oil company and yeah, it's harder to get investment into Alberta because we can't export our product. So in the lead up to the election in Alberta, we talked a lot about how emotional these issues can be for people that many Albertans feel wronged by the federal government when it comes to energy development. Now that Jason Kenney is elected, has that feeling persisted? Are you still hearing that? Yeah, I'd say there's still that frustration out there, that feeling that the province is putting more into confederation than it's getting out. You know, when a federal minister comes to visit Calgary, chances are he or she will be greeted by a pro-pipeline demonstration.

There was actually one a couple weeks ago when the Minister of Natural Resources was in town for a clean energy announcement. We need to get all Canadians back to work, get these pipelines in the ground and get the best price for our resources. So this is the anger and the frustration that the UCP did a good job of channeling when they were on the campaign trail. This election is about three big issues, right? Jobs, the economy, and pipeline. But now you're also hearing from people who perhaps were laid off during the recession and have had a hard time finding work. the recession and have had a hard time finding work. We talked to some oil patch workers who are basically, you know, taking Jason Kenney's platform promise about job creation at his word. We talked to one guy named Brian Maven. He was a safety manager in Fort McMurray when he got laid off in 2015. And he hasn't been able to find steady work since. So things are getting pretty lean for him.

It's really stressful, he says. And he and other workers like him are really counting on Kenny to get them back to work. My credit has kind of gone out the tubes there because of having to juggle bills. Lots of times I lie awake staring at the ceiling wondering where I'm going to get the next dollar to pay my bills or when I'm going to be back working. Every day I put out resumes to companies for safety positions, but doesn't seem to get much response. Right now the province is not a happy province. A lot of people's not working.

A lot of people's just, you know, on the brink of bankruptcy. A lot of people's not working. A lot of people's just, you know, on the brink of bankruptcy. So I think that the new premier needs to have in mind that we need to get jobs happening right now for people of Alberta. Is there a sense from these workers that there might be other factors at play here, like the global price of oil that are affecting their job opportunities, and that some of this might be out of the hands of Jason Kenney? Yeah, I mean, they understand how the oil industry works. They understand that there's rough patches, highs and lows. So I think they are looking to the federal government to do more. While they recognize that some things like rolled oil prices are out of government's

hands, they still want to know that there's an understanding of the economic pain here. Right, right. And speaking of that understanding, or what they perceive as a lack of understanding, I know that Kenny met Trudeau recently in Ottawa this month, and they talked about energy projects and climate issues. And remind us how that meeting went. Well, I hope that it'll be a polite and respectful conversation. It seemed to be pretty cordial, given the history between these two leaders. I mean, Kenny once described Trudeau as an empty trust fund millionaire who has the political depth of a finger bowl. You might remember that one.

Yep. Kenny went on to say that, quote, he can't read a briefing note longer than a cocktail napkin. OK. And during the election, Kenny campaigned against Trudeau, you know, almost as much as he campaigned against Rachel Notley. So I think some people would argue possibly even more so. Yeah. Are you ready in five days to end the Trudeau-Notley alliance? Yeah.

So, yeah, I'd love to know what was said in that meeting on Parliament Hill. Not only that, but how it was said. Political scientists I've talked to noted Kenny was showing his more statesman-like side in Ottawa, and they say it's in his interest to do so, chiefly because of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion. I mean, the Premier obviously wants to get that going as soon as possible, and Trudeau could help hurry things along, or he might decide not to.

I have always said to Albertans that I hope our new government can begin our relations with the current federal government in a diplomatic way, but ultimately, we are prepared to use every tool in the legal and political toolbox. The federal government is expected to give the project the green light in June, but it's been careful not to put a hard deadline on consultations with First Nations. We saw for 10 years of Stephen Harper that you're unable to get things built if you don't listen to people and work with people. But of course the Trans Mountain pipeline and the meeting with the Prime Minister

wasn't the only reason Kenny was in Ottawa. He was also there to press Alberta's case on some bills, including Bill C-69. So, if this bill proceeds together with C-48, it will be a message to the people of Alberta that their federal government doesn't care about

a devastating period of economic adversity in our province and is so careless about it that it's prepared to violate exclusive provincial jurisdiction. So let's talk about Bill C-69, which is essentially an environmental assessment bill. And I know that Kenny has compared it with the National Energy Program in the 1980s, which was the brainchild of Justin Trudeau's father, Pierre Trudeau. And it resulted in this huge fight between the province and the feds. ambitious goal of eliminating all foreign oil imports by 1990 and reducing our total oil consumption by a huge 20% over the next 10 years. And what happened there? Yeah, well, Trudeau wanted to reduce Canada's dependence on foreign oil and have more federal control over Alberta's oil

industry. And that would happen through an energy pricing agreement that would sell Alberta oil at a lower price to Canadian consumers. So this irked Alberta and its oil industry, to say the least. You know, it was seen as a money grab. But already tonight, Alberta officials were saying that confrontation is on. My reaction is that it's even more objectionable than we thought it could be. This is when you saw those bumper stickers that said, let the eastern bastards freeze in the dark. And the Alberta government, led by Premier Peter Lougheed at the time,

decided to respond by delaying oil sands projects, by cutting oil production, to basically prompt the NEP to fail. We, of course, would cancel such an approach if we can get to sit down and negotiate with the federal government a new and fair arrangement. I support Premier Peter Lougheed 100%, and I think all Albertans should do the same. I also realize the total futility of all this

and so-called negotiating with the federal government or having anything to do with them. If my voice is trembling, it's because I am terribly angry. I feel that we've been treated as a colony out here in the West long enough. At around the same time, the industry was hit by a big crash in world oil prices. American companies started selling off Canadian assets. There were heavy job losses. So the NEP actually didn't last very long in its original form.

But it did earn the federal Liberal Party decades of resentment here. But many in the industry today say the price was too steep, blaming the NEP for the end of the 70s boom in Alberta and stifling growth for years. Of all of the things that have happened the last 20 or 30 years to the oil industry around the world. The NEP ranks up there as one of the worst. And are people still angry about that? And does that speak to why Kenny is invoking this now? I think it depends on the generation you're talking to. For older Albertans, it does have a kind of mythology. You know, in Alberta, it's shorthand for Ottawa meddling in provincial

affairs. So when Jason Kenney invokes the memory of it, and he's really looking to appeal to that anti-Eastern establishment populist sentiment, which was why the language he was using was interesting when he was talking about Bill C-69 in Ottawa. You know, he was, you know, talking about the risk of inflaming a national unity crisis in Alberta and the idea that the federal government is telling Albertans it's indifferent to their situation and the future of the oil and gas industry. This is not just a slight to the people of Alberta. This is the culmination of a full frontal attack on our economic prosperity. I plead with you as federalists to understand the national unity implications of this.

He was really playing to that history and that mythology. Of course, Jason Kenney is not alone here. There are several Conservative premiers across Canada who are taking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to task over the federal carbon tax and other climate-related issues more widely. And how do you see all of this playing out in the next several months as we gear up for a federal election? It's interesting. I mean, Alberta is certainly not a key campaign battleground. Far from it.

The province is basically a write-off for the Liberals. But Alberta is at the heart of these vital questions about where the country's oil industry should fit in a transition to a lower carbon future. And it'll be really interesting to see how Jason Kenney plays things during the federal election campaign. You know, he's a lot of standing as a conservative in the country. He's a powerful voice. How will he use that voice? Will we see campaign trail Kenney or a more diplomatic version? Anti-Ottawa rhetoric will score points at home, but he also needs to get a pipeline built. Alison, thank you so much.

You're welcome. There's another issue that's top of mind for Alberta Premier Jason Kenney right now. An 80,000 hectare wildfire is spreading across the northwestern part of the province, near the town of High Level. The evacuation order for High Level went out and 4,000 or so people there have been successfully evacuated. No homes damaged, no one hurt at this time. That's it for today. I'm Jamie Poisson. Thanks for listening to FrontBurner. and the Arab Spring is raging. A lesbian activist in Syria starts a blog. She names it Gay Girl in Damascus.

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