Provinces forge ahead on new strategy
Agreement aimed at bridging a divide between provinces
Canada’s premiers are nearing a deal aimed at clearing a path for pipeline projects in exchange for new environmental commitments, such as potential pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions, people familiar with the talks say.
A draft of the agreement known as the Canadian Energy Strategy is circulating among bureaucrats and expected to be presented to premiers in the next few months, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions aren’t public.
The push for a Canadian Energy Strategy began with oil- producing Alberta in 2011 and has grown to include all 13 provinces and territories. Several officials said a deal is possible by July.
“I’m very optimistic, and there’s many reasons to be optimistic,” New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant, one of four co- leaders of the talks, said in an interview when asked if a July announcement is expected.
The agreement is aimed at bridging a divide between provinces such as Alberta, which is pressing for the approval of pipeline projects, and provinces such as Ontario and Quebec who want the country to be more aggressive on emissionsreduction targets and regulations. Provinces are specifically considering whether to include emissions reduction targets, officials said.
If they do, the premiers would move ahead where Prime Minister Stephen Harper has not. Provinces have wide jurisdiction over environmental standards and emissions, while the federal government has jurisdiction over major energy projects that cross provincial borders, such as pipelines. A Harper spokes- man declined to comment.
Environmental concerns and inter- provincial disputes have delayed or underpinned opposition to pipeline projects including Trans-Canada Corp.’ s Keystone XL and Energy East, Enbridge Inc.’ s Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan Inc.’ s Trans Mountain expansion. British Columbia, for instance, announced five conditions it wanted met before it backed Gateway.
A Canadian Energy Strategy was initially designed to avoid arbitrary or lengthy barriers for proposals. Quebec was the final province to join talks, and did so last year under the condition action on climate change be a part of the Energy Strategy.
“Provinces and territories are going to work together,” Quebec Environment Minister David Heurtel said in an interview. “It’s clear that sub- national states are playing a bigger and bigger role in the fight against climate change.”
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said a Canadian Energy Strategy deal could lead to further talk of carbon taxes or a cap- and- trade system for emissions.
The provinces are moving to seal an agreement ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in December. Coun- tries “ready to do so” were invited by the UN to submit emissions- reduction plans by March 31, ahead of Paris. Harper’s government has avoided committing to that date.
Canada will submit its emissions plans “well in advance” of the summit after consulting with provinces, Ted Laking, a spokesman for Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq, said in an email. “Canada wants to ensure it has the most complete picture of provincial and territorial plans possible before submitting.”
Aglukkaq didn’t specifically answer a question in a January parliamentary session from lawmaker and Green party leader Elizabeth May about whether Canada would meet the March 31 submission date.
Two emissions plans, known as “intended nationally determined contribution” or INDC documents, have been submitted to the UN thus far. One of them was from the European Union, whose member states pledged to cut domestic emissions by 40 per cent by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
“The industrialized world is expected to step up to the plate,” May said. “We’re on the verge of a deadline of a treaty Stephen Harper has claimed he wants to see — one that is comprehensive, includes all nations — and we are continuing to be unhelpful.”
In the 2009 Copenhagen Accord, Canada pledged to cut emissions to 611 megatons by 2020, down from 2005 levels of 736 MT, according to government figures. Environment Canada figures show the country is on pace to churn out 727 MT in 2020, well short of the Copenhagen goal. Canada’s emissions are also projected to grow over the next five years, with most of the growth coming from the oil and gas sector — leaving environmentalists warning new pipelines will speed crude production and emissions alike.
Provinces have previously set their own emissions targets, and are almost all on pace to miss them. Alberta, home of the oilsands, is the fourth- largest province by population and the nation’s top emitter, and those emissions are forecast to increase as oil production grows.
Harper’s government promised oil and gas regulations in 2006. They haven’t yet been introduced. He said recently Canada won’t move on broader rules until the U. S. does, and that it would be “crazy” to do so as the price of oil remains low.
Premiers say more needs to be done to take action on matters of energy and environment.
One potential milestone comes next month, when Premier Philippe Couillard is hosting his own summit. Progress there could signal an energy deal is close.
It’s clear that sub- national states are playing a bigger and bigger role in the fight against climate change.