House Environment Committee Meeting That Had Invited Alberta Premier Cancelled

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks during an event in Calgary on Oct. 5, 2023. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

A House of Commons Environment committee meeting that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith had been invited to speak at has been cancelled.

“Today [the committee] sent a letter rejecting my attendance,” Ms. Smith said on the social media platform X on Oct. 12.

Ms. Smith said she accepted an invitation from the committee on behalf of the Government of Alberta. The invitation was initially directed to Alberta Energy Minister Brian Jean. The committee had also extended an invitation for testimony to the province’s minister of Affordability and Utilities, Nathan Neudorf, as confirmed by Ms. Smith’s press secretary, Sam Blackett.

“Given the significance of these issues and the concerns raised by Albertans, Canadians, and industry the Premier saw fit that she spoke on the importance of delivering Alberta’s responsibly produced energy to world,” Mr. Blackett said in an email to The Epoch Times.

However, the committee later informed the premier that the meeting, scheduled for Oct. 17, would no longer be held because one of the key witnesses was unable to attend, according to Mr. Blackett. He confirmed that the chair of the House committee, Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia, had explained the reason for the cancellation in a letter, first obtained by CBC News.

Mr. Scarpaleggia said the committee had invited a senior executive from Calgary-based Suncor Energy to explain why the company “is abandoning its climate targets that had been previously laid out in the face of a climate emergency.” However, the executive declined to participate, thereby impeding the committee’s progress in conducting the meeting.

Mr. Blackett noted that if the committee were to reconsider its decision or schedule any new meetings in the future, the premier would be “more than happy to participate.”

In her social media post, Ms. Smith questioned whether the House committee had reservations about her testifying.

“That was the fastest response we’ve ever received from the feds - apparently they don’t want me to testify about electricity grid reliability or our pursuit of carbon neutrality by 2050 after all…wonder why?” she said.

In a separate social media post on Oct. 11, Ms. Smith shared a letter she had sent to the environment committee clerk, outlining her intention to testify on behalf of both Mr. Jean and Mr. Neudorf. In that post, she reaffirmed Alberta’s alignment with the federal government’s objective to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. However, she expressed disagreement with its proposed 2035 timeline for achieving a net-zero grid, saying that it could make electricity more expensive and less reliable for homes and businesses.

“Alberta is committed to reducing emissions and meeting our climate targets. We know that there is a better path forward than the one being imposed by the federal government, one that is safe, reliable, and affordable and will lead to significant emissions reductions,” she wrote in that letter.

She reiterated Alberta’s position on the proposed federal electricity regulations, describing them as “unconstitutional, irresponsibly designed,” adding that they would result in many companies being forced to shut down natural gas plants and massive power bills for Canadian families.

“As currently written, these regulations will not be implemented in Alberta,” she wrote.