A House of Commons Environment committee meeting that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith had been invited to speak at has been cancelled. Ms. Smith announced the cancellation on Oct. 12 via her Twitter account, stating that the committee had rejected her attendance. According to Ms. Smith, she had initially accepted the invitation on behalf of the Government of Alberta after it was directed to Alberta Energy Minister Brian Jean. The committee had also extended an invitation to the province’s minister of Affordability and Utilities, Nathan Neudorf, as confirmed by Ms. Smith’s press secretary, Sam Blackett.
However, Mr. Blackett later revealed that the committee informed the premier that the meeting, scheduled for Oct. 17, would no longer take place due to the unavailability of a key witness. It was explained by the chair of the House committee, Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia, that a senior executive from Suncor Energy, based in Calgary, had declined to participate in explaining why the company was abandoning its climate targets. This refusal impeded the committee’s progress and led to the cancellation of the meeting.
In response, Ms. Smith expressed her concerns on social media, questioning whether the House committee had reservations about her testifying. She also shared a letter she had sent to the environment committee clerk, outlining her intention to testify on behalf of Mr. Jean and Mr. Neudorf. In the letter, she reaffirmed Alberta’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 but disagreed with the proposed 2035 timeline for achieving a net-zero grid, citing potential negative implications for electricity reliability and affordability.
If the committee were to reconsider its decision or schedule new meetings in the future, the premier stated that she would be willing to participate. She also criticized the federal government’s proposed electricity regulations, describing them as unconstitutional and irresponsibly designed, which would lead to the shutdown of natural gas plants and high power bills for Canadian families. Ms. Smith made it clear that the current regulations would not be implemented in Alberta.