The Voice of Canada News:
Energy Minister Sonya Savage joined Saskatchewan and Ontario ministers in expressing frustration with results of the 2019 Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference.
| In recent years, the economic challenges facing Canada’s energy and mineral sectors have reached a critical point. The provincial energy ministers were profoundly disappointed with the 2019 EMMC discussions and communiqué, as they did not adequately address the challenges and concerns raised by each province over the past several months. Superficial discussion about competitiveness, market access, the devastating economic effects of the Impact Assessment Act (Bill C-69) and Oil Tanker Moratorium Act (Bill C-48), the continued federal encroachment into provincial jurisdiction on natural resources and no real solution to carbon emissions beyond taxing hard-working families and businesses led to Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan declining to support the federal government’s communiqué. “In representing Alberta at the Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference, I was hoping to have substantive dialogue on the challenges facing Alberta’s oil and gas industry. However, it was clear the federal government did not want any meaningful conversation about its encroachment on provincial jurisdiction of natural resources, or the devastating impacts bills C-69 and C-48 will have on competitiveness and market access for provinces across the country. Our government will continue to fight for the economic interests of Alberta, which is why I could not support the federal government’s communiqué.”Sonya Savage, Minister of Energy Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan continue to stand united against federal policies such as Bill C-69 and the federal carbon tax, and will continue to reject short-sighted policies that seek to undo the pro-energy progress our provinces have made. |
