Alberta's energy path central to Canada's economic health, Trudeau tells business delegation

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the future health of Canada's economy hinges largely on how well Alberta adapts to changes in the energy landscape.

"Our government recognizes that for Canada to succeed, we need every region to succeed. And that in particular means Alberta," he told a delegation of representatives from about 50 companies, business groups and First Nations from the province.

"Politics and other challenges have us divided or people pointing out differences, but the fact of the matter is we don't build the right future for Canada if Alberta isn't at the centre of everything we do." 

The business groups were in Ottawa this week for meetings with the prime minister, government officials and the ministers of environment, industry, agriculture, prairies, small business and employment. 

Trudeau praised the ambition of Alberta companies, highlighting innovation in carbon capture and storage, solar projects and hydrogen — while taking subtle shots at strained relations with the provincial government over environmental policy. 

"The politicians who'd rather deny the facts of the matter than take action to meet this moment are denying certainty to investors and business leaders, denying workers opportunities and denying our kids and grandkids the secure future they deserve," Trudeau said.

The three-day visit set out to find more areas of collaboration with the federal government and show that "Alberta is not what you think it is," according to Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta. 

"It's only through repeated telling of [those] pieces of information, those stories, that hopefully we'll be able to begin to shift some perceptions," he said. 

"We need to be bringing our members, the companies, innovators, the investors to Ottawa to keep telling those stories, meet new people every time, ask for action every time we have a meeting with the government official and say, OK we'll be back in three or six months."

Alberta's $8M ad campaign against federal net-zero rules

As those CEOs walked to their meetings, another message was also being delivered from Alberta. 

This week the province launched $8 million in ads, billed as an education campaign, to push back on new emissions reduction regulations proposed by the federal government. 

It includes a truck with a billboard reading, "No one wants to freeze in the dark," currently driving around Ottawa. 

Both levels of government agree that 2050 is the year to hit net-zero total emissions, but Ottawa has set 2035 as the target to make the country's electricity grid emissions-neutral — a timeline Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has vowed to fight. 

She said her government is preparing a Sovereignty Act motion to attempt to counter the regulations, citing a warning from the provincial grid operator of potential blackouts. The bulk of the province's power currently comes from natural gas. 

It's the first indication Smith might actually invoke the controversial law, but it's unclear how the motion would be phrased and what provincial entities could be compelled to comply with it. 

Despite the effort to focus on shared goals, the business group leaders say there is alignment with provincial concerns about a net-zero electricity grid and an impending cap on emissions from oil and gas production. 

The prime minister acknowledged the environment as the "elephant in the room." 

Interim goals for emissions reduction by 2030 for oil and gas would require industry to cut emissions by 42 per cent. It's a figure that the province and the sector has called impossible without significant cuts to production. 

Trudeau also took a jab at the Alberta government's pitch to embark on its own pension plan while talking about his government's track record. 

"It's why we strengthened the Canada Pension Plan and why we need to make sure it continues to protect a stable and dignified retirement for all Canadians," he said, met by applause from the delegates. 

"I couldn't resist that one," he quipped. 

Efforts were made to overlook government tensions during this delegation, even if they loomed large in private conversations and prepared remarks. 

"We focus on the issues and we'll leave the political discourse to the politicians," Legge said.