JOHN’S, N.L. – Canada’s premiers reached a deal Friday on a national energy strategy that supports both project development and the need to act on climate change, ending days of bickering over finding a balance between economic growth and environmental protection.
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It says indigenous kids are over-represented in child welfare systems across Canada.
“We need an economy that serves every Canadian”, said Manitoba Federation of Labour President, Kevin Rebeck.
Wall took shots at Ontario and Quebec in particular earlier this week, arguing their positions seem to look down on lucrative oil and gas resources while benefiting from the equalization funds they help raise.
Premier Robert McLeod of the Northwest Territories spoke on the one hand of how the energy strategy would allow the province to develop its resources since it provided for pipelines.
At the press conference for the energy strategy, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley insisted pipelines are still the safest method for transporting oil and gas.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant has said he’s optimistic an agreement on a national energy strategy will be reached at the gathering.
At the same time, he said, it acknowledges that Canada has an abundance of energy resources that should be developed safely. “We only have one customer for this product so far”.
I trust the premiers will seize the moment and sign onto a Canadian energy strategy that builds on our inherent strengths as an energy-producing country. The only way to do that is to get to yes on development of all kinds, but the only way we can get to yes and guarantee that those jobs will be created is if we can assure Canadians that we are doing it in an environmentally sound and responsible way. He repeated that “oil is not a four-letter word” and described the discussion around the table as “vigorous”.
Clark urged other provinces to follow B.C.’s lead, where carbon pricing was introduced seven years ago.
JOHN’S, N.L. – Premier Kathleen Wynne says Prime Minister Stephen Harper is playing politics by refusing to co-operate with Ontario’s new pension plan, and warns voters will question his motives in the upcoming federal election campaign.
“I think that many of the premiers have come together to have mature and productive discussions that will meet the interests of all Canadians, both in terms of promoting jobs and economic prosperity as well as respecting everybody’s concerns about environmental responsibility”.
Robert Skinner, an executive fellow at the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary who worked on and studied energy strategies for decades, said it’s not surprising it falls short. There is no potential for Canada to play the increasingly important role we should in supplying the world with energy if we don’t have a common commitment to make it happen.
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“Wildfires in British Columbia, a severe drought in California and more extreme and unpredictable weather all underscore the urgency of the climate crisis and the need for a meaningful energy strategy to tackle carbon pollution”, the group declared in a statement.
