Liberals table 'sustainable jobs' bill to back up pledge to help workers transition

The Canadian Press

The federal Liberals introduced new legislation today that would require the government to develop and share a plan every five years to help workers transition to a clean-energy economy.

It would hold the government to account for its promises to help workers retrain and create new jobs as Canada shifts away from its current reality as a combustion-energy powerhouse.

The government says a clean-energy economy could create as many as 400,000 new jobs before the end of this decade alone.

The Liberals are calling Bill C-50 the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act.

The pragmatic-sounding name belies the political fight ahead as energy-dependent\
provinces in Western Canada accuse Ottawa of trying to overstep its bounds.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said her province would provide additional cash to help cut emissions from oil and gas production only if Ottawa scrapped the sustainable jobs bill.

PREMIER PROMOTING ALBERTA MADE PLASTIC

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2023.

Trudeau clean grid plan has Alberta 

leader pledging defiance

Robert Tuttle, Bloomberg News   Jun 13, 2023

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith vowed to fight Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s environmental initiatives with “every power that we have,” including by having the oil-rich province defy federal legislation.

A federal goal of zeroing out the emissions from the nation’s power grids by 2035 and a plan to slash emissions from oil and gas companies by 42 per cent this decade are unachievable for Alberta, Smith said Tuesday at an energy conference in Calgary. If necessary, the province will use the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act that was passed last year as grounds to disregard federal laws, Smith said. The act’s constitutionality has been widely disputed, and its use may provoke a court case.  

“The constitution is very clear that we have the authority to develop our electricity grid, we have the authority to develop our resources,” Smith told reporters. “That’s what the Sovereignty Act is all about, making sure that we defend our areas of jurisdiction.”

Smith’s United Conservative Party won 49 of 87 seats in the provincial legislature in elections two weeks ago to form a majority government, defeating the left-leaning New Democratic Party. Smith is a vocal critic of Trudeau, and promises to push back against federal intervention in Alberta were a central theme of her campaign.  

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith vowed to fight Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s environmental initiatives with “every power that we have,” including by having the oil-rich province defy federal legislation.

A federal goal of zeroing out the emissions from the nation’s power grids by 2035 and a plan to slash emissions from oil and gas companies by 42 per cent this decade are unachievable for Alberta, Smith said Tuesday at an energy conference in Calgary. If necessary, the province will use the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act that was passed last year as grounds to disregard federal laws, Smith said. The act’s constitutionality has been widely disputed, and its use may provoke a court case.  

“The constitution is very clear that we have the authority to develop our electricity grid, we have the authority to develop our resources,” Smith told reporters. “That’s what the Sovereignty Act is all about, making sure that we defend our areas of jurisdiction.”

Smith’s United Conservative Party won 49 of 87 seats in the provincial legislature in elections two weeks ago to form a majority government, defeating the left-leaning New Democratic Party. Smith is a vocal critic of Trudeau, and promises to push back against federal intervention in Alberta were a central theme of her campaign.  

A federal goal of zeroing out the emissions from the nation’s power grids by 2035 and a plan to slash emissions from oil and gas companies by 42 per cent this decade are unachievable for Alberta, Smith said Tuesday at an energy conference in Calgary. If necessary, the province will use the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act that was passed last year as grounds to disregard federal laws, Smith said. The act’s constitutionality has been widely disputed, and its use may provoke a court case.  

“The constitution is very clear that we have the authority to develop our electricity grid, we have the authority to develop our resources,” Smith told reporters. “That’s what the Sovereignty Act is all about, making sure that we defend our areas of jurisdiction.”

Smith’s United Conservative Party won 49 of 87 seats in the provincial legislature in elections two weeks ago to form a majority government, defeating the left-leaning New Democratic Party. Smith is a vocal critic of Trudeau, and promises to push back against federal intervention in Alberta were a central theme of her campaign.