Were it not for the CBC, I probably wouldn’t even begin to know the number of truly weird and wonderful contortions that Scott Moe regularly goes through in trying to convince voters that only he and our “Saskatchewan First Act” can protect us from the overreaching attempts by Ottawa to control the outcome of our future prosperity. Now, in a fashion typical of his government’s aversion to creating legislation that would provide some meaningful response to climate change’s damaging effects upon our economy, he and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith are charting their anti-Trudeau militia’s next resistance move to be on the front lines of the federal government’s amended Clean Power Grid’s regulations, a verbal war that will only exacerbate this stupidity.
Few of us, overly concerned about grocery chains still gouging us over food prices or housing costs reaching ever skyward, currently have precious little time to formulate an opinion as to how we should be tackling these problems, much less those associated with climate change. The Moe government, only too happy to play upon our “ignorance by prioritization of personal need”, pretend that they’re also “concerned” as to the typical consumer’s plight. They only add to our concerns that whenever someone might suggest (such as Kaitlyn Harvey, who became an NDP candidate for the provincial caucus when Ryan Meili resigned that position) that the two issues are one and the same. That is, unless they can put up a credible argument to suggest that whatever “changes” should be taken in such a direction, particularly if suggested by the feds, could only result in major economic damage to the province’s economy.
This battle’s first skirmish occurred last August when the federal government released its proposed Clean Electricity Regulations, which in essence articulated how Ottawa wanted our national electricity grid to function while transitioning to its goal of obtaining a “net zero green energy” result starting in 2035. As could be expected, both Alberta and Saskatchewan reacted to the document, first maintaining that these new rules did not take the provinces’ specific requirements, needs and limitations into effect when drafted. However, even as the federal government gave assurances that such modification to policy would be studied in a more updated plan to be released this year, both Premiers Scott Moe and Danielle Smith went full “sovereignty”, maintaining that even if such changes could be made, they first would never be quite “enough” in their revision to allow such regulations to overshadow the provinces’ right to govern the electrical grid’s deployment and utilization as per constitutional arrangement, in effect rehashing the irrelevancy of arguments made by the provinces to support their passage of the Saskatchewan First Act and Alberta’s Sovereignty Act.
Lacking any substantive evidence to back its claim, the Saskatchewan government established a committee, the “Economic Impact Assessment Tribunal” to perform that very task. Backed by research done through Navius Research Inc. of Vancouver, and supported by extensive documentation emanating from the Ministry of Finance and the Crown Investments Corporation (CIC). In May, this Committee published their report, suggesting among other things that:
- Any regulatory change carries with it some unintended consequences, including undermining investor confidence, a point which may be relevant were we talking of some sports arena going to another jurisdiction should local government not take into consideration such loss and govern accordingly; however, in this case this issue is irrelevant, given that without consideration of the need to act, climate change will in the long run create economic chaos world-wide;
- The costs of electricity to Saskatchewan families, business and industry will be greater under the Clean Energy Regulations (CER) than under the Saskatchewan Affordability Plan (SAPP) for the period from 2025 to 2035; however, this assumption is based upon three questionable levels of data reliability, not the least of which is documentation emanating from the Ministry of Finance, which relies heavily upon hugely optimistic projection of royalty wealth continuing to be derived from our resource sector, and especially from oil extraction. It also pessimistically jumps to some questionable and negative conclusions, specifically that the implementation time for CER regulations to come into effect may be too short for some province, technology to allow for a smooth transition may not be ready in time and that a “reliable” labour source will be available to conclude work in time to meet the schedule of the CER;
- Saskatchewan’s economic growth (GDP) will be about $7.1 billion lower and at least 4,200 fewer jobs under the CER than under the SAPP from 2025 to 2035, but both figures drive my mathematics teacher brain to distraction. Of course, the CER figures will be lower than SAPP’s; the time line is shorter
- Finally, one can expect the price of electricity to increase. That’s going to happen, whether under CER or SAPP; however, the bizarre list of economic “consequences” makes their report again sound like Saskatoon is bidding for another NHL franchise, with the energy equivalent being the standard for why corporations used to frown upon union involvement: the potential shift of production and increased “deindustrialization” to jurisdictions with weaker environmental standards, reduce opportunities to partner with Indigenous entities (How? Is the Saskatchewan government going to FINALLY recognize that our Indigenous communities should be receiving funds from royalties associated with natural resource extraction? Please…), and our reliance on being an export-based economy makes Saskatchewan and its industries “particularly vulnerable to the consequences of greater electricity costs – which are going to be better controlled in Saskatchewan in any case, simply because such jurisdictional control lies within the power of our Crown controlled industries
With the revision of the CER’s proposed regulations only now being released by the federal government, even Alberta’s concern that the CER’s timelines do not take into consideration the fact that most of their electricity is created by using natural gas generation is neutered by there now being some “wiggle room” into creating a date for full implementation of CER in the province. However, that is still not stopping Dustin Duncan. Saskatchewan’s minister responsible for Crown corporations, and once one of the saner members of Scott Moe’s Cabinet, is now maintaining the premier’s position that “No tweaks or adjustments can adequately address the fundamental flaws in these regulations.”
I wonder if anyone hoping to still be around at the end of October and as part of a Saskatchewan Party government actually believes the premier’s rhetoric, or does their sudden decision to march lock step with Emperor Scott have nothing to do with having lost his clothing, but whether Premier Moe has cut off their access to the Weather Channel.