Alberta targets federal emissions cap with C$7mn ad campaign
The Alberta government on October 15 rolled out a C$7mn advertising campaign targeting the federal government’s pending oil and gas emissions cap which it said would lead to 150,000 lost jobs across Canada and remove C$14bn from the Canadian economy.
Citing studies by the Conference Board of Canada, Deloitte and S&P Global Commodity Insights, Premier Danielle Smith said the emissions cap, which seeks to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector by between 35% and 38% from 2019 levels by 2030, is effectively a production cap, and represents yet another intrusion by Ottawa into an area of provincial jurisdiction.
“Once again, Ottawa is attempting to set policies that are shortsighted and reckless,” Smith said. “We’re challenging proposed policy that would stifle our energy industry, kill jobs and ruin economies by launching a national campaign that tells Ottawa to ‘Scrap the Cap’.”
S&P Global found that a 40% emissions cap would reduce oil and gas production by 1mn barrels of oil equivalent (boe)/day by 2030 and by 2.1mn boe/day by 2035. The Conference Board of Canada and Deloitte both said the cap could reduce Alberta’s oil production by more than 10% and its conventional natural gas production by 16% in 2030.
“A cap on oil and gas production will kill jobs and investment and adds to the growing list of federal programmes that will kill investments in decarbonisation,” said Brian Jean, the province’s Minister of Energy and Minerals. “All Canadians need to let Ottawa know how this cap hurts Alberta and risks Canada’s energy security.”
Draft regulations covering the emissions cap are expected soon, possibly at COP29 in Baku next month.
The campaign, which will run from October 15 to the end of November, consists of print, television, social media and online advertising in Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and British Columbia. It follows on the heels of a similar campaign last year against Ottawa’s proposed Clean Electricity Regulation.