The Free Alberta Strategy Is Working

The Free Alberta Strategy is working!

Of course, the introduction of the Sovereignty Act to the legislature next week is an obvious example, but there are many others.

Take the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), which wrapped up last week.

Two weeks ago, we wrote to you about why we felt it was important for Alberta to send our own delegation to the meeting, to make sure at least some rational pro-energy voices would be heard.

Now that the meeting is over, we know that plan worked, because the presence of Alberta’s delegation had a definite impact on the position Canada took at the conference.

Last year, at COP26 in Scotland, the countries agreed to move faster to get rid of any coal-fired electricity plants that don't have the technology to capture emissions.

But this year was different.

This year, despite there being a significant push to add oil and gas to that paragraph, Canada - somewhat surprisingly - was not on board.

And this wasn't the result of some massive change of heart by Justin Trudeau.

No, it was because of the work the Alberta delegation did.

Every step of the way, the Alberta delegation reminded the federal delegation that the federal government doesn't have the unilateral authority to regulate our resource industries, or sign any international deals that would require them to be regulated.

In an interview with Climate Action Network Canada’s Caroline Brouillette (who was very disappointed!), federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault stated that adding oil and gas to the phaseout would see pushback from the provinces:

“Everything we do is challenged in the court,” he said. “(Carbon) pricing was challenged, our plastic pollution regulations were challenged, our environmental impact assessment is being challenged — either by provinces or companies, or both. And if we're not on very solid legal ground, we will lose in front of the tribunals and that doesn't help anyone.”

This is a big win for the Alberta delegation, who went with a clear goal in mind - to make Alberta’s interests clear in an international setting.

Meanwhile, all eyes in Alberta turn to Edmonton next week as the legislature reconvenes for the first week of the fall session when we anticipate the Sovereignty Act will be introduced.

This is yet another big win for the Free Alberta Strategy!

Our loyal readers will know that the Sovereignty Act is one of our eight major policy positions, and we are very excited to watch such a key policy plank be implemented by the Alberta government.

Who would have thought a year ago, that we'd be here now, with the Alberta government about to pass the Sovereignty Act!

But we still have much more work to do on our other policy ideas, like the ending of equalization, the implementation of Provincial institutions like an Alberta Police Service, an Alberta Pension Plan, and a provincial unemployment program.

From equalization to the Emergencies Act, fertilizer mandates, pipeline blockades, carbon taxes, plastic straw bans, and more, the federal government is addicted to infringing on Alberta's jurisdiction and causing havoc and - yes - chaos throughout our economy.

We can no longer let Ottawa push us around, crush our industries, and destroy our livelihoods.

We must continue to fight to make sure that the federal government stays in its lane, to protect Albertans from further federal government intrusions into provincial affairs.