Alberta
Alberta taking Trudeau government to court to fight unconstitutional Impact Assessment Act
Alberta’s government is again taking the federal government to court over its unconstitutional Impact Assessment Act after they failed to meet the province’s four-week deadline.
Impact Assessment Act lands Ottawa in court again |
In October 2023, the Supreme Court of Canada concluded that the Impact Assessment Act was largely unconstitutional. On June 20, 2024, the federal government amended the Impact Assessment Act as part of a large omnibus budget bill. The amendments fail to correct the constitutional deficiencies the Supreme Court of Canada identified with the original legislation and will continue killing jobs and hurting the economy.
Alberta’s government gave the federal government a four-week deadline to remedy the unconstitutional provisions in the amended Impact Assessment Act or face another legal challenge. The federal government has failed to address Alberta’s concerns, showing a continued disregard and refusal to engage with Alberta on the legislation and its flawed amendments. In response, Alberta has referred the constitutionality of the amended Impact Assessment Act to the Court of Appeal of Alberta.
“We have tried working with Ottawa to change their deeply flawed and unconstitutional Impact Assessment Act but we’ve been met with resistance every step of the way. They have chosen to disregard our input, disregard a Supreme Court of Canada decision, and disregard our deadline, so we’ll see them in court. Again. We will not stand down on this issue.”
The federal government’s Impact Assessment Act enables Ottawa to derail, delay and interfere in projects that have little or nothing to do with matters falling within federal jurisdiction. Alberta’s government has been consistent in its response and continues to wait for the federal government to engage meaningfully and make meaningful amendments to the legislation.
Alberta’s government asked the federal government to:
- Eliminate federal encroachment into provincial jurisdiction.
- Recognize equivalency and the ability to fully substitute our provincial environmental assessment for a federal impact assessment.
- Create certainty for industry and increase investor confidence by imposing concrete timelines and curbing ministerial discretion.
- Emphasize that significant adverse effects within federal jurisdiction is the minimum threshold for federal involvement.
- Streamline the process by scoping projects appropriately and placing some parameters on public involvement.
- Focus the public interest decision-making process on significant adverse effects within federal jurisdiction and countervailing positive effects.
“The federal government needs to respect the decisions of the Supreme Court and stop making meaningless attempts to bypass the rulings of Canada’s highest court. The courts agreed with Alberta in the first legal challenge, and we are prepared to fight as many times as is necessary to defend the rights of Albertans against this blatant overreach.”
Show your Alberta side. Buy Local. |
When the going gets tough, Albertans stick together. That’s why Alberta’s government is launching a new campaign to benefit hard-working Albertans.
Global uncertainty is threatening the livelihoods of hard-working Alberta farmers, ranchers, processors and their families. The ‘Buy Local’ campaign, recently launched by Alberta’s government, encourages consumers to eat, drink and buy local to show our unified support for the province’s agriculture and food industry.
The government’s ‘Buy Local’ campaign encourages consumers to buy products from Alberta’s hard-working farmers, ranchers and food processors that produce safe, nutritious food for Albertans, Canadians and the world.
“It’s time to let these hard-working Albertans know we have their back. Now, more than ever, we need to shop local and buy made-in-Alberta products. The next time you are grocery shopping or go out for dinner or a drink with your friends or family, support local to demonstrate your Alberta pride. We are pleased tariffs don’t impact the ag industry right now and will keep advocating for our ag industry.”
Alberta’s government supports consumer choice. We are providing tools to help folks easily identify Alberta- and Canadian-made foods and products. Choosing local products keeps Albertans’ hard-earned dollars in our province. Whether it is farm-fresh vegetables, potatoes, honey, craft beer, frozen food or our world-renowned beef, Alberta has an abundance of fresh foods produced right on our doorstep.
Quick facts
- This summer, Albertans can support local at more than 150 farmers’ markets across the province and meet the folks who make, bake and grow our food.
- In March 2023, the Alberta government launched the ‘Made in Alberta’ voluntary food and beverage labelling program to support local agriculture and food sectors.
- Through direct connections with processors, the program has created the momentum to continue expanding consumer awareness about the ‘Made in Alberta’ label to help shoppers quickly identify foods and beverages produced in our province.
- Made in Alberta product catalogue website
Related information
- Buy Local Alberta
- Made in Alberta Product Catalogue
- Alberta Agri-Food Products and Services Export Catalogue
Alberta
Province to expand services provided by Alberta Sheriffs: New policing option for municipalities
Expanding municipal police service options |
Proposed amendments would help ensure Alberta’s evolving public safety needs are met while also giving municipalities more options for local policing.
As first announced with the introduction of the Public Safety Statutes Amendment Act, 2024, Alberta’s government is considering creating a new independent agency police service to assume the police-like duties currently performed by Alberta Sheriffs. If passed, Bill 49 would lay additional groundwork for the new police service.
Proposed amendments to the Police Act recognize the unique challenges faced by different communities and seek to empower local governments to adopt strategies that effectively respond to their specific safety concerns, enhancing overall public safety across the province.
If passed, Bill 49 would specify that the new agency would be a Crown corporation with an independent board of directors to oversee its day-to-day operations. The new agency would be operationally independent from the government, consistent with all police services in Alberta. Unlike the Alberta Sheriffs, officers in the new police service would be directly employed by the police service rather than by the government.
“With this bill, we are taking the necessary steps to address the unique public safety concerns in communities across Alberta. As we work towards creating an independent agency police service, we are providing an essential component of Alberta’s police framework for years to come. Our aim is for the new agency is to ensure that Albertans are safe in their communities and receive the best possible service when they need it most.”
Additional amendments would allow municipalities to select the new agency as their local police service once it becomes fully operational and the necessary standards, capacity and frameworks are in place. Alberta’s government is committed to ensuring the new agency works collaboratively with all police services to meet the province’s evolving public safety needs and improve law enforcement response times, particularly in rural communities. While the RCMP would remain the official provincial police service, municipalities would have a new option for their local policing needs.
Once established, the agency would strengthen Alberta’s existing policing model and complement the province’s current police services, which include the RCMP, Indigenous police services and municipal police. It would help fill gaps and ensure law enforcement resources are deployed efficiently across the province.
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