The Alberta government comes out swinging, stating ‘the Liberal and NDP coalition has passed draconian legislation that will irreparably harm Canadians’ ability to hear the truth about the energy industry and Alberta’s successes in reducing global emissions’
Talk about a slap in the face, a punch in the gut and a kick where it hurts.
Thursday afternoon and the latest attack on Alberta and the oilpatch.
Just when you may have thought Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government couldn’t possibly stick it to Alberta any more than the idiot ideologues in Ottawa already have, they go after us again.
They want to shut up the oilpatch. The oilpatch has a story to tell but it is not the story Trudeau and his cronies want to tell or want to have told.
They want the oilpatch to shut the hell up and they have a law, Bill C-59, to try to do just that.
The Alberta government, led by Premier Danielle Smith, comes out swinging, stating “the Liberal and NDP coalition has passed draconian legislation that will irreparably harm Canadians’ ability to hear the truth about the energy industry and Alberta’s successes in reducing global emissions.”
The statement talks about Ottawa demonizing the oilpatch, subjecting them to the prospect of tens of millions in fines, silencing debate, creating chaos and uncertainty for investment and giving a bigger megaphone to the opponents of responsible energy production.
The statement talks about “absurd authoritarian censorship” and a court fight and even the use of the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act to protect the free speech rights of all those in the oilpatch.
No doubt deep thinkers have thought about having the oilpatch put out the facts through an agency of the Alberta government, thereby shielding oil and gas from this oppressive, heavy-handed law.
Yes, as one wise soul put it, this Trudeau law makes it so the oilpatch can only communicate facts on their activities to reduce emissions as approved by Steven Guilbeault.
You know Guilbeault, Trudeau’s point man on climate change, the man once nicknamed the Green Jesus of Montreal and now, apparently, our nation’s first Minister of Truth.
Yes, this is yet another way to scare away investment from the oilpatch because we all know what Trudeau and his inner-circle cronies think of oil and gas.
They want it gone.
Here are some of Trudeau’s words from Thursday. Make sure you have an air sickness bag or something similar at the ready.
“We need to make sure people are debating and discussing and basing their worldview on things that are anchored in truth and reality,” says the prime minister.
What can you even begin to say about those words?
Those in authority will now determine what is truth, what is reality. Trudeau is the fellow who wants to opine about truth and reality. Heaven help us.
Rebecca Schulz is Alberta’s environment minister.
Schulz is in Washington, D.C. and Americans are asking her: “Do you not have freedom of speech protected in your country?”
“Being asked by Americans if we really have a federal government that completely disregards and will not protect freedom of speech, that is an embarrassment.”
Schulz says the gag order of the Trudeau government is “wildly disrespectful” and “completely disregards the needs and beliefs of everyday Canadians.”
“They will do anything to silence the voices of anybody who doesn’t agree with their ideological view of the world. At the end of the day they just want to see the end of fossil fuels.
“They absolutely do not care about the impacts that would have on Albertans, Canadians or our overall economy. They just want to appease their activist base. I would guess they won’t be shutting down green radical websites and messaging.
“They’re going to make sure the people who see the world the same way they do are going to be able say what they want.”
This fight with Trudeau’s Ottawa goes on and on and on.
What else could that Liberal government do?
“There’s still a lot of time between now and the next election. We’ve got an emissions cap coming this fall. We’re going to have finalized clean electricity regulations.”
Schulz says Alberta will see the Trudeau government in court. She is very confident of a win.
“The premier often calls them the lawless government and they are. We will continue to defend our province.”