Danielle Smith looking forward to working with Ottawa on climate change

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she is looking forward to working with the federal government on dealing with climate change.

Ms. Smith made the commitment Friday as she unveiled a post-election cabinet in Edmonton, naming 25 members. Story here. There is a full list of ministers here.

She was also asked in an interview this week – story here – whether she believes in human-caused climate change.

Ms. Smith said she does. “We have to reduce emissions. That is one of the commitments we have made as a government, and that is one of the commitments I have made to the Prime Minister, that we will work with him on getting to carbon neutrality by 2050.”

But she said she is concerned that the Prime Minister wants to move much faster on two initiatives that would not allow us to achieve our goal and would, she said, “hamstring our economy” and devastate the lives and livelihoods of Alberta family.

Ms. Smith has been opposed to both the federal government’s plan to force provinces to slash emissions from their electricity grids, starting in 2035 and an emissions cap for the oil and gas sector that is to take effect in 2030.

“I will work collaboratively with the federal government on the objective they have set, and I have put out a hand of goodwill to ask him to work with us on that, and I am hoping that happens.”

Earlier this week, federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault told journalists on Parliament Hill that, once an Alberta cabinet was named, he would reach out for talks on climate-change policy “as we have done despite what the public perception might be.”

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