Airdronians will be among many Canadians to see a new $7 million advertising campaign from the provincial government calling on the federal government to stop the cap on greenhouse gas pollution from the oil and gas sector.
According to the provincial government, they are launching a national advertising campaign to inform Canadians that this cap will lead our province (Alberta) and country into economic and societal decline.
"Alberta would be hit hardest and in 2040, the province’s GDP would shrink by 4.5 per cent. Canada’s would decline by 1 per cent. The cap would result in 150,000 Canadians losing their jobs and the loss of $14 billion a year from the economy. The average Canadian family would be left with up to $419 less per month to spend on groceries, housing or fuel, impacting the quality of life Canadians enjoy coast to coast to coast."
According to the federal government's announcement back in 2023, the proposed regulatory framework (which is set to be tabled this fall) would mandate that the industry reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35 to 38 percent from 2019 levels by 2030. Alternatively, the industry could reduce the cut to 20 to 23 percent of 2019 levels by purchasing offset credits or making contributions to a decarbonization fund.
"No sector of the economy should be allowed to emit unlimited pollution—not when we are all driving toward the same goal of net zero by 2050 to ward off the worst impacts of the climate crisis," explained the federal press release.
The provincial government has also made a WEBSITE to share their thoughts and why they think it is important to "Scrap the Cap".
"Once again, Ottawa is attempting to set policies that are shortsighted and reckless. We’re challenging a 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.” We’re telling the federal government to forget this reckless and extreme idea and get behind Alberta’s leadership by investing in real solutions that cut emissions, not Canada’s prosperity,” explained Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta.
Also according to the province, the proposed cap will put safe, reliable and secure energy at risk while costing tens of thousands of jobs and billions in lost federal revenue that pays for important programs, services and infrastructure.
"If left unchanged, this cap would force Canada’s energy industry to curtail production at the expense of struggling Canadian families. When production is cut, jobs, tax revenues and the economy are cut too. It is, in effect, a cap on prosperity that would be felt across the country," shared a provincial press release.
The advertising campaign, which started Tuesday and will run until the end of November, will be seen in print, television and social media.
"Alberta is reducing emissions through common sense, incentives and technologies, not taxes or punitive regulations. The oil sands emissions intensity per barrel has fallen 23 per cent since 2009 and is expected to decline another 28 per cent by 2035. Alberta’s overall emissions, electricity emissions and methane emissions are all declining, even as energy demand rises and the economy grows. The province aspires to be carbon neutral by 2050 without cutting jobs or compromising affordable, reliable and secure energy for Albertans, Canadians and the world."
Naheed Nenshi criticized the UCP's "Scrap the Cap" campaign, accusing the government of wasting taxpayer money on out-of-province ads instead of collaborating with the federal government to address emissions policies that already exist in Alberta.
In the ad campaign's announcement, the province shared it aspires to be carbon neutral by 2050 without cutting jobs or compromising affordable, reliable and secure energy for Albertans, Canadians and the world.
Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon.
Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com. You can also message and follow us on Twitter: @AIR1061FM.
DiscoverAirdrie encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the DiscoverAirdrie app.