Alberta puts its hopes in Senate
Notley, Kenney seek changes to key energy bill
EDMONTON • Uncertainty over the future of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is be enough to drive any politician to drink, but Alberta’s politicians are hoping for a bit of sobriety in a planned federal overhaul of resource project reviews.
Headed to the Senate this fall, the federal Liberals’ Bill C-69 has been a subject of endless scorn in Alberta politics — especially amid the controversy surrounding Trans Mountain — over fears it will sink future energy projects.
On Tuesday, both NDP Premier Rachel Notley and Jason Kenney, leader of the opposition United Conservatives, pointed to the potential for reform via the red chamber. Given the Senate’s tendency not to adhere blindly to the Liberal government’s agenda, they hope it will provide a way for Alberta politicians to lobby for the changes they want.
“A bill like this is exactly what the Senate exists for,” Kenney said in a Tuesday interview with the Post. “It is something that has very strong regional impacts; the Senate’s supposed to put a regional lens on issues; it’s supposed to be able to slow things down that have huge consequences where it’s not been given adequate consideration.
“This is what the Senate is for.”
Bill C-69 will remodel the National Energy Board — the agency that currently oversees the industry — into the Canadian Energy Regulator and create an Impact Assessment Agency, which will carry out resource project analysis.
Critics point to an expanded analytical scope, including gender-based analysis, as evidence that it will make successful energy approvals nearly impossible.
“Bill C-69 in its current form stands to hurt our competitive position, so we are going to keep fighting for changes,” said Notley.
On Tuesday, Notley said the Alberta government had many “productive” discussions with the federal Liberals, but haven’t seen the changes they want to the legislation.
Alberta energy minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd and environment and parks minister Shannon Phillips are expected to head to Ottawa to testify about changes, including what Notley described as uncertainty about how criteria in the bill would be applied to projects and what timelines would be.
More specifically, Notley objects to downstream emissions, which is when increased energy use as a result of a project is considered.
Kenney said he too has written to the Senate natural resources committee and the Conservative opposition requesting to appear as a witness.
Doug Black, an Alberta senator, told the Post Wednesday that C-69 is a “disaster for Alberta and for Canada” and says he plans to take a lead on the file in the Senate.
“From where I sit it is a huge opportunity for the Senate. The House of Commons didn’t give this bill the attention that it required, and the Senate must,” said Black. “This has to be studied exhaustively because whether you’re a union member, or a First Nations member or a business person in Halifax or St. John’s, this is going to hurt.”
Black said the Senate is “basically unbound in terms of party alliances, although there is still some of that,” so he’s confident that senators are well-positioned to take a serious look at the bill and push back as necessary — as they did in other instances, such as the assisted dying legislation.
The Liberals claim Bill C-69 is going to speed up, yet improve, the energy projects reviews process.
Some analysts point to it as something akin to a return to pre-Harper regulations, while others see it as a death knell for the energy industry, which has long expressed fears about the impact of the legislation.
At any rate, Alberta politicians will soon be taking their concerns to the Senate — and Black is preparing to push his colleagues for changes.
“Albertan interests are always front in my mind, but not divorced from the impacts that that will have on the rest of Canada,” said Black.
“So what I’m saying is, look, this is so important to Canada, senators, let’s just take the time to make sure that we understand the consequences and tell the government that the pause button needs to be pushed and they frankly need to go back to the drawing board.”