Prime Highlights
- Alberta and Ontario call for the undoing of major federal climate legislation passed during Justin Trudeau’s tenure.
- Ministers assert current policies hold back economic growth and intrude on provinces’ jurisdiction.
Key Facts
- A formal letter was tabled before the July 2-3 federal-provincial environment ministers’ meeting in Yellowknife.
- Alberta and Ontario call for the reversal of the Impact Assessment Act, emissions cap, clean energy rules, and species act legislation.
Key Background
Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz and Ontario Minister Todd McCarthy have jointly written the federal government to cancel major “Trudeau-era climate policies” they argue are choking up provincial economies and growth. In a written letter to federal Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin, the two ministers say those policies have minimal environmental benefit but impose serious regulatory and financial burdens.
Central to their appeal is the reversal of the Impact Assessment Act, which was partially struck down in 2023 by the Supreme Court of Canada for infringing on federal authority. The law governs federal environmental reviews of major projects and has been universally criticized by oil-producing provinces as an investment-roadblock bureaucracy.
Targeted as well is the oil and gas emissions cap, which aims at lowering sectoral emissions by 35% below 2019 levels. Alberta and Ontario argue that this cap disadvantages their energy sectors, limiting them from developing and competing globally. They stress that such regulations fail to keep up with economic realities and investment objectives.
The clean power regulations that target a net-zero electricity grid by 2035 are also considered too ambitious and insensitive to provincial capability, particularly in Alberta where natural gas remains a leading source of energy. Ontario, however, points to its current low-carbon grid and recommends the federal regulations are unnecessary.
Lastly, the ministers stated pieces of the Species at Risk Act and noted that it seems to introduce unnecessary delays for essential infrastructure and energy projects. Both provinces assert that the environmental stewardship should be more directly in provincial hands, where policies could be tailored to regional needs.
This collective action is a sign of growing intergovernmental tensions in Canadian climate policy, especially as Prime Minister Mark Carney prepares to set his environmental agenda following Trudeau. As the July meeting approaches, calls for decentralization will probably shape national policy debates.
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