Carney says he'll work with oil and gas industry, says he opposes 'preset caps'

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 20, 2025 3:45 PM EDT | Last Updated: March 21

Prime Minister Mark Carney has suggested helium may be consenting to determination distant from emissions caps for the lipid and state manufacture successful a displacement from his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, whose authorities had begun the process to modulate greenhouse gas.

Speaking to reporters successful Edmonton aft gathering with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith Thursday, Carney was asked however helium planned to antagonistic the harmful effects of U.S. tariffs connected the lipid and state industry, portion besides supporting an emissions cap. 

Carney said helium wanted to marque Canada's vigor assemblage much competitory by "working with manufacture and with provinces connected circumstantial ways to get those reductions, as opposed to — and past constituent which goes to your question — as opposed to having preset caps oregon preset restrictions connected preset timelines."

The premier curate didn't elaborate, but his comments look to contradict the national Environment Minister helium appointed days ago, Terry Duguid. 

In a caller interrogation with The Canadian Press, Duguid said that, if elected, Carney would support the Liberals' projected cap on emissions.

"We privation that energy. What we don't privation is that pollution," Duguid said. 

Trudeau promised a headdress connected emissions from lipid and state successful the 2021 predetermination and began the regularisation process successful 2022. 

In November, the Liberals introduced draught regulations — 2 years down docket — that necessitate producers to chopped emissions by astir one-third implicit the adjacent 8 years, and said that the regulations did not spot a headdress connected production.

The national authorities besides projected a cap-and-trade strategy wherever each institution would beryllium fixed an emissions allowance equating to 1 portion per tonne of c pollution. Companies that pollute little would beryllium capable to merchantability their leftover allowance units for profit, portion companies that don't trim their emissions capable would person to bargain allowance units from different companies to enactment successful compliance.

Alberta premier lists demands

Smith said that successful her archetypal face-to-face gathering with the caller premier curate she gave him an earful connected wildfires and lipid income and warned him that national unity hangs successful the balance.

"I provided a circumstantial database of demands the adjacent premier minister, careless of who that is, indispensable code wrong the archetypal six months of their word to debar an unprecedented nationalist unity crisis," the Alberta premier said successful a connection Thursday aft her greeting gathering with Carney successful the Alberta capital.

Smith has been a longtime professional of Trudeau, saying national Liberal authorities policies person for years illegally encroached connected Alberta's assets rights and strangled its wellspring lipid and state industry.

Smith said it was Carney's thought to conscionable and that they had a "frank discussion."

"I made it wide that Albertans volition nary longer tolerate the mode we've been treated by the national Liberals implicit the past 10 years," she said.

Smith repeated a fig of policies she wants changed, including unfettered cross-boundary entree to physique pipelines and an extremity to the projected greenhouse state emissions cap, which Alberta says would hamstring assets production.

A time earlier, Smith told reporters she is skeptical that Carney tin deliver. "I tin archer you I'm not encouraged by what I've seen truthful far," she said. "I deliberation there's a existent information that the caller premier curate is worse than the aged premier minister."

At the unrelated quality league successful Edmonton aboriginal Thursday, Carney acknowledged the gathering with Smith and said helium is committed to making Canada's lipid manufacture much competitive.

"The committedness is to present projects similar those that we agreed are nationalist priorities," Carney said. "It's astir getting, yes, pipelines built crossed this state truthful that we tin displace imports of overseas oil."

Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said Smith's menace of a nationalist unity situation is "childish" and "juvenile" and volition neglect to get immoderate concessions from the national government.

He said if the premier wants to support threatening a nationalist unity crisis, she should telephone a referendum connected Alberta separation and resign if it fails.

Carney straps connected skates

Carney spent the time successful shoes and skates. Late successful the morning, the erstwhile varsity hockey goaltender stopped by Rogers Place to skate with the Edmonton Oilers astatine practice.

Canada's 24th premier curate wore a bluish Oilers jersey with the fig 24 and his past sanction connected the back. He spoke to coaches, joined players successful a passing drill and shook hands with goaltender Calvin Pickard.

Also Thursday, Carney's bureau laid retired $187 cardinal successful caller backing to assistance rebuild Jasper. It's the largest backing bundle announced for Jasper since a runaway wildfire ripped done Jasper National Park and destroyed a 3rd of the municipality successful July.

Smith said she talked astir Jasper with Carney.

"I made it wide that national mismanagement of Jasper and Banff nationalist parks resulted successful past year's tragic wildfire successful Jasper and is endangering Banff, and the concern indispensable beryllium rectified immediately," she said.

Carney besides made an affordability announcement. The national authorities is eliminating GST connected caller oregon "substantially renovated" homes sold for little than $1 cardinal to first-time homebuyers.

The premier minister's travel to Edmonton came arsenic each parties cogwheel up to deed the hustings.

Sources accidental Carney is to spell to Gov. Gen. Mary Simon connected Sunday to dissolve Parliament and motorboat a national predetermination campaign.

Carney's Liberals volition person their enactment chopped retired for them successful Alberta. The enactment lone has 2 sitting members successful the state with Randy Boissonnault successful Edmonton and George Chahal successful Calgary. Both are seeking re-election.

Carney said helium knows his enactment has a large elevation to ascent retired West but said they volition person a fig of beardown candidates.

Carney's sojourn to Edmonton, his puerility home, was his archetypal since helium made his Liberal enactment bid announcement successful the metropolis successful January. Born successful the Northwest Territories, Carney grew up successful Edmonton earlier leaving to survey economics astatine Harvard and Oxford University.

At his enactment announcement, Carney recalled lacing up his skates to play outdoor hockey astatine the Laurier Heights assemblage league rink successful westbound Edmonton.

"I tin inactive perceive the blades of the skates tapping connected the level arsenic we effort to get the humor flowing into our toes," helium said astatine the time, joking astir Edmonton's weather.