Last Updated: April 13, 2015 10:51 AM MDTJim Prentice will campaign in Alberta while Canada’s premiers meet in Quebec this week to discuss climate change, but his rivals are calling his inaction on greenhouse gases, “a shameful lack of leadership.”
While critics jumped down his throat on the campaign trail Sunday for procrastinating on critical global warming strategy, the premier says the Progressive Conservative government is working on its own plan.
“I’m very pleased with the progress we’re making,” Prentice said Saturday. “I committed that we would renew the policies of the government relative to climate change (and) we’re in the process of doing that.”
Environmentalists took to the streets in Quebec, Calgary, and Edmonton Saturday to protest the lack of action on climate change nationally. They say they want to see meaningful progress when premiers meet in Quebec Tuesday to discuss what provinces can do before a United Nations climate change summit in Paris later this year.
Greenpeace climate change campaigner Mike Hudema said Alberta is holding the rest of the country back in climate change actions.
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“We have other provincial leaders that are taking steps to address a growing climate crisis and yet Alberta’s emissions continue to skyrocket,” he said. “We need real provincial leadership.”
Prentice’s campaign spokeswoman said Alberta senior government officials will attend the Quebec conference in place of the premier to observe the meeting. However, neither Environment Minister Kyle Fawcett nor Municipal Affairs Minister Diana McQueen — who Prentice recently tasked with shepherding Alberta’s policy — are going.
“We believe it is important for provinces to work together to reduce carbon emissions in a way that respects both the environment and the economy,” said Prentice campaign spokeswoman Emily Woods.
“Unfortunately, with an election campaign now under way in Alberta, Premier Prentice will be unable to attend the Quebec conference.”
She said the premier looks forward “to hearing what provinces have to say on this important matter and to working with them to take action on climate change.”
Prentice’s predecessors Alison Redford and Dave Hancock had promised to unveil a new provincial strategy last year after environment officials conceded to a legislature committee that Alberta missed its 2010 targets to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
More recently, the provincial auditor general criticized the government’s failure to report publicly on its climate change program.
Prentice now says he will meet the province’s 2020 climate change targets and hopes to unveil a new climate change plan in June, but opposition leaders on the campaign trail are skeptical.
“As an Albertan, I am frustrated because we have a government which has been planning a climate change plan for years and talking about introducing one but never moving on it,” NDP Leader Rachel Notley said. “They’ve failed to do it and in doing so hurt our national reputation and ultimately hurt our job creation opportunities as well.”
Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said he is fearful Prentice will commit Alberta to a national cap and trade program that will force Alberta energy companies to purchase emission credits from other provinces.
“To me that sounds like one more equalization program,” he said. “It would have a total negative effect to Alberta. It doesn’t make any sense to me whatsoever except to damage Alberta’s resource industry and quality of life through more taxes and less real positive change to the environment.”
He said the current strategy to invest billions of dollars into carbon capture and sequestration projects is “unproven technology” and merely a “corporate welfare” program.
Liberal Leader David Swann, who was fired from his position as a medical health officer after disagreeing with former premier Ralph Klein’s position on climate change, said it remains a crucial issue.
“Fundamentally this is our economy’s number one threat in Alberta. Mr. Prentice needs to show leadership to protect and grow the economy — and he is not,” said Swann.
Swann said the Liberals would put “a meaningful price” on carbon, raising the current $15 per tonne of emissions by heavy emitters on a predictable, graduating basis so industry can plan and budget for it.
Alberta Party Leader Greg Clark called the delay in updating Alberta’s climate change strategy, “unfortunate.”
“I think it’s a shameful lack of leadership from Jim Prentice and the PCs that will hurt Alberta,” said Clark. “We have an opportunity to be the leaders in this country and leaders in the world on environment policy and I think if we are, the world will want to do business with Alberta.”
He said climate change policy offers a huge opportunity to Alberta to do the “right thing” while serving as a tool to diversify the economy.
“Alberta can be a big part of the solution to climate change,” he said. “Instead we have a PC government that has chosen to drag its feet.
with Trevor Howell, Calgary Herald
