AB Today – Daily Report May 6, 2019

Quotation of the day

“What a great ally. I tell you, the people of Alberta — they're so fortunate to have such a great person leading the province."

Ontario Premier Doug Ford gushes over Alberta Premier Jason Kenney Friday after the two met in Ford’s office to discuss the federal carbon levy, Bill C-69, pipelines and interprovincial trade.

Today in AB

On the schedule The province’s NDP caucus will be sworn in next Monday, May 13, in the legislative chamber. The UCP MLA-elects who are not a part of cabinet will be sworn in on the first day of the upcoming session, May 21.

Premier watch Premier Jason Kenney found time Friday, between meetings with Ontario Premier Doug Ford and the Toronto Star editorial board, and his Canadian Club speech, to pop into the Art Gallery of Ontario, where he Instagrammed a photo of a painting by Alberta-born artist William Kurelek.

During his luncheon speech in downtown Toronto, Kenney encouraged the business community to consider moving shop to Alberta, touting his plan to slash corporate taxes to the lowest rate in the country.

“My message to you is: go back to your office, talk to your CFO, ask them to take out their calculator and calculate how much they will save by moving operations to Alberta at an eight per cent corporate tax rate,” Kenney told the Bay Street crowd, joking that Calgary has plenty of low-rent office space on the market.

Kenney also said his fellow Canadians should be proud to purchase oil from Alberta rather than “dictatorship” oil, including supplies controlled by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kenney received at least three standing ovations from the crowd.

By all accounts, his meeting with Premier Ford went great. During a photo-op, Ford told reporters he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, saying Kenney’s election promise to make “Alberta open for business” is “good for Alberta and good for Ontario and is good for the country.”

The UCP also has plans to follow Ontario when it comes to free speech on campus, the Edmonton Sun reports. After taking office last summer, Ford gave colleges and universities four months to “develop, implement and comply with a free speech policy” that would allow controversial speakers and academics to hold court on their campuses.

Carbon tax challenge struck down in Saskatchewan court — but the battle wages on The first of two court challenges arguing against the constitutionality of Ottawa’s carbon levy was struck down by the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal on Friday.

The court ruled 3-2 that carbon pricing falls under the Ottawa’s “national concern” powers as laid out by the constitution. In the written decision Chief Justice Robert Richards said carbon pricing is an “effective” and “essential” tool for limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said he will appeal the decision.

Premier Jason Kenney also remains undeterred, promising that Alberta “will be joining Saskatchewan in their appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada” and describing the ruling as “a close judgement” on “very narrow technical grounds.”

“It was a close one: 3-2, but this series isn't over yet,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said of the panel of judge’s decision. “That’s Game One. We still have other games to play.”

Ontario has argued its own reference case against the carbon tax; Manitoba recently filed papers to do the same. Kenney told BNN Bloomberg he has not decided whether Alberta will launch its own federal challenge but said the UCP’s forthcoming Bill 1, the Carbon Tax Repeal Act, which will axe the NDP-implemented provincial carbon tax, will be in effect by the end of June.

In his statement on the decision, Kenney touted the UCP’s greenhouse gas reduction plan, which includes a levy on high-emitting industrial operations.

“We believe that our strong plan makes a federal carbon tax redundant and that a consumer-punishing retail carbon tax — whether imposed by the NDP or by Justin Trudeau — is the wrong way to go. It’s all economic pain and no environmental gain,” Kenney said.

Federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna encouraged the provincial first ministers allied against pollution pricing to drop their fight, saying it is an “essential part of any credible plan to tackle the global challenge of climate change.”

Topics of conversation

● Alberta’s new deputy minister of justice Phil Bryden will not heed NDP Leader Rachel Notley’s request to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate alleged voter fraud in the 2017 UCP leadership race. ○ Notley made the request Thursday while also calling on Ethics Commissioner Marguerite Trussler to open an investigation into whether Premier Jason Kenney and Attorney General Doug Schweitzer are in breach of the province’s conflict of interest law — the men are now the de facto heads of the province’s law enforcement while their party’s leadership race is simultaneously being probed by the RCMP. ○ The UCP says that is not an issue. “As [Schewitzer] does not have influence or oversight over police investigations, he does not have a role in this RCMP investigation — or any other police investigation,” party spokeswoman Christine Myatt wrote in a statement to AB Today. “Police investigations are conducted independently of government, regardless of the matter being investigated.” ○ Mount Royal University political scientist Lori Williams told CBC an appointment of a special prosecutor could be a good thing for the UCP because it would create the “appearance of appropriate distance” between the government and the RCMP’s investigation.

● Thousands of students across the province walked out of class for 20 minutes on Friday to protest proposed rollbacks to gay-straight alliance protections and concerns the changes will allow students be outed to their parents.

○ In a statement, Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said her government does not support “mandatory parental notification or ‘outing’ of any student” and that she would be happy to meet with “passionate young Albertans to understand their concerns and clarify any misunderstandings about our position.” ○ Premier Jason Kenney said it was great to see students taking an interest in issues — but said they should be “learning in class instead of doing politics outside of school during school hours.”

● Another mass demonstration, populated largely by students, took place in Edmonton Friday. A match organized by Climate Justice Edmonton saw demonstrators march from city hall to the steps of the Alberta legislature. ○ The demonstration was part of the #FridaysForFuture protests happening worldwide.

● Conservative Party of Canada Leader Andrew Scheer still leads in the polls ahead of the fall federal election, according to the results of an Angus Reid poll released Friday. Support for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party continues to erode, funneling support to the Green Party of Canada and the federal NDP. ○ According to Angus Reid, 44 per cent of Canadians who voted for Trudeau in 2015 now disapprove of the prime minister. Fifty-one per cent of former Trudeau voters say they will vote for another party this time around, or are undecided.

● Suncor’s new CEO Mark Little doesn’t want the taps to B.C. shut off — noting the company makes cash serving the B.C. market. ○ Little called the proclamation of the “turn off the taps” law “a fairly significant intervention into a market to try to resolve a dispute.” ○ “We’re hoping that through the government’s negotiations this can get sorted out, because the last thing we want to do is have an impediment in serving our customers,” he said following Thursday’s AGM — his first since taking the helm of the oil and gas company. ○ Suncor, which owns a refinery on refinery row east of Edmonton, is opposed to the NDP-government’s oil production curtailment; he also told Bloomberg crude by rail doesn’t make economic sense.

● NDP Leader Rachel Notley spoke in Calgary at the Alberta Federation of Labour convention, telling the crowd she will continue to fight for workers’ rights as opposition leader. ○ She told attendees of the convention when the NDP was just a four-member opposition party it co-ordinated a filibuster to defend public sector pensions against a PC bill that was ultimately pulled. ○ “Today, we have 24. So let me just say, my friends: as a former house leader, I can tell you with absolute certainty and absolute clarity, we can filibuster forever,”

Notley told the crowd. “If they start coming after workers’ rights, that’s exactly what you’re going to see.”

● CBC’s The Ledge podcast looked at pro-life lobby group The Wilberforce Project’s influence on the election of several UCP candidates. Cameron Wilson, Wilberforce’s political director, takes credit for swaying some nominations but will not say how many of the organization’s preferred candidates were elected — however, he said it has an internal tally. ○ Wilson says he is pleased with the pick of Adriana LaGrange as education minister. LaGrange was previously the head of a pro-life organization in Red Deer. ○ The Wilberforce Project is advocating for more conscience protections for medical workers who oppose abortion and medical-assisted dying and against GSA protections.

● Keystone XL has missed another construction season due to court delays, TransCanada executive vice-president Paul Miller told analysts on a conference call, the Associated Press reports. ○ While U.S. President Donald Trump issued a new permit for the project in April, the construction was blocked in November when a judge in Montana ordered additional environmental reviews.

● Medicine Hat Mayor Ted Clugston told the Medicine Hat News the lack of cabinet position for Cypress Hill—Medicine Hat UCP MLA Drew Barnes is a “detriment.” ○ “It is a disadvantage and I was disappointed to tell you the truth,” said Clugston. ○ Barnes, the UCP’s former finance critic, said last week he was “disappointed” he wasn’t offered a cabinet spot and that he turned down a non-ministerial position.

News briefs — Governmental

Province hires lawyer to expedite Springbank dam project in Calgary The Government of Alberta hired lawyer Martin Ignasiak to get the Springback Off-Stream Reservoir project built faster.

“We need an independent expert to evaluate the Springbank Reservoir project and determine what can be done to move this project forward,” Transportation Minister Ric McIver said in a news release. “We are confident that Mr. Ignasiak will help us move quickly to protect the safety and economic security of Calgary and those living in other communities downstream of the Elbow River.”

The flood-protection project is currently under review by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, Alberta Environment and Parks, and the Natural Resources Conservation Board.

When completed, the Springback reservoir will hold 70.2 million cubic metres of water and, together with the 10 million cubic metres held by the Glenmore Reservoir, would hold the amount of water that flooded Calgary in 2013.

China’s pork products ban ‘deeply concerning’; province extends enrolment date for AgriStability program Agriculture and Forestry Minister Devin Dreeshen is extending the enrollment deadline for the province’s AgriStability program from April 30 to July 2 so canola and pork producers dealing with Chinese bans and import tie-ups can apply for relief.

“Alberta has offered up every technical and scientific capability we have to help work with Canada and the People’s Republic of China in this matter,” Dreeshen said, adding the province will continue with trade missions to create demand for Alberta products.

Meanwhile, trade experts are recommending Canada ride out this conflict with China rather than retaliate. “We need China — and China doesn’t need us,” one policy analyst told Maclean’s.

AB Today is written by Catherine Griwkowsky, reporting from Alberta's legislative press gallery.

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