(EDMONTON, AB): Today, United Conservative MLAs vowed to protect everyday Albertans from the proposed Notley-Trudeau 2035 net-zero electricity regulations, which, if implemented, would exponentially increase the cost of power for families and businesses across the province.
A Public Policy Forum report pegged the cost of the 2035 plan at $1.7 trillion, making Alberta’s share likely in the range of hundreds of billions of dollars. These catastrophic costs, if imposed, would be paid by everyday working people such as farmers, small business owners, seniors, young families, and more.
Parliamentary Secretary for Affordability and Utilities Chantelle de Jonge said Justin Trudeau, Steven Guilbeault, and Rachel Notley are intentionally ignoring the ordinary people who would be hurt by this disastrous plan.
“The far-left ideology behind this rapid 2035 timeline would condemn countless Albertans and Canadians to poverty,” de Jonge said. “This is the inconvenient truth that Justin Trudeau, Steven Guilbeault, and Rachel Notley don’t want to acknowledge. We know this policy would drive Albertans’ power bills through the roof, and the bottom line is this: United Conservatives won’t let this happen. The constitution is clear that electricity generation is our sole right and responsibility as a province to manage. While United Conservatives are happy to work on a realistic 2050 timeline for reaching carbon neutrality, we will not experiment with people’s lives and livelihoods before that.”
Grande Prairie MLA Nolan Dyck said he’s disappointed the Notley NDP have chosen to side with the Trudeau Liberals over the everyday Alberta families and businesses who would be hurt by the 2035 timeline.
“This disastrous 2035 plan is creating significant fear and uncertainty around the cost and reliability of electricity, particularly for small business operators, who are the backbone of our economy,” Dyck said. “This rapid timeline is an attack against ordinary people, of whom many came to our province and country for freedom and stability. This is something that should be grabbing the attention of all Alberta politicians right now, regardless of political stripe. Any plan that makes electricity more expensive and less reliable is a bad plan, and this 2035 plan is exceptionally bad. The Notley NDP should be ashamed of itself for toeing the line for the Trudeau Liberals on this 2035 net-zero plan, which even the Saskatchewan NDP oppose.”
Calgary-Fish Creek MLA Myles McDougall said United Conservatives support a realistic and achievable plan of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.
“We have been clear that we are willing to work towards a carbon-neutral electricity system that’s affordable, reliable, and secure. It can be done by 2050, but not 2035. That just isn’t realistic,” McDougall said. “Most importantly, however, any plan that is agreed to must recognize that we can only cut emissions only as fast as people’s pocketbooks will allow. Unlike the Trudeau Liberals and the Notley NDP, United Conservatives will not condemn people to poverty for any reason. Everyday families and businesses should not be the last consideration when making policy decisions, they should be the first.”
