Alberta
Premier Smith urges Canadians to contact their MP’s to demand reliable & affordable power
“What would happen if your power went out and it’s minus 30 outside”? This question is posed to Albertans and all Canadians by Premier Danielle Smith. Premier Smith has been chastised by the opposition NDP and supporters of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plan to make Canada’s electricity grid completely carbon neutral by 2035.
Smith says Trudeau’s net zero strategy is a terrible mistake that will lead to brutal power outages while potentially quadrupling the cost of energy. Further, since wind and solar generation depends on sunlight and a good breeze, renewable energy can’t always be relied on. To make that clear Smith pointed to eight different occasions in the past year when Alberta’s electricity system nearly collapsed.
While repeating her pledge to make Alberta’s power grid carbon neutral by 2050, Smith is urging Canadians to join her in support of a more reasonable plan for energy transition.
No one in Canada should be without access to electricity, but if the feds don’t smarten up they will put all of us at risk.
Take 30 seconds and send a message to our Liberal-NDP government in Ottawa 👉https://t.co/GmBSkeaXs6 pic.twitter.com/ZwDpQ2o2nQ
— Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) October 16, 2023
From TellTheFeds.ca
No one wants blackouts.
What Canadians want is reliable & affordable power.
Ottawa’s proposed electricity regulations will make electricity unreliable & unaffordable.
THE THINGS CANADIANS COUNT ON WON’T WORK WHEN NEEDED.
Affordable electricity matters.
In addition to blackouts, current electricity rates will be double, triple or even quadruple depending on the province. And drastic changes could dismantle thriving industries that are vital parts of our provincial economies, resulting in a power grid that depends on unreliable energy.
Canada can’t afford a hasty transition.
Reliable electricity matters.
With cited cost estimates as high as $1.7 trillion*, the cost of achieving a net zero grid by 2035 will leave our power grid dependent on intermittent and unreliable sources like solar and wind.
Imagine no heat at -30°, and no power for the Internet or to charge your phone.
The federal government wants electricity demand to at least double by 2050. Tell the Feds reliable and affordable electricity matters. And ask them why they are rushing to do something by 2035 when the experts agree that it can’t feasibly be done.
* Source: Public Policy Forum, Project of the Century, July 2023
Tell the Feds what you want.
Contact your MP.
There is a better path forward. Alberta is leading the way. Together, let’s make a better plan.
Not a mandate.
Ottawa’s carbon-neutral goals can be achieved by 2050 with a lower tax and utility burden on Canadians. Changing over our electricity system in 27 years is much more practical and affordable than rushing to do it in just 12 years. Rather than being told to dismantle industries critical to Canada’s economy, Tell the Feds to work with the provinces on a plan that benefits all Canadians.
Premier Danielle Smith issued the following statement on the April 2, 2025 U.S. tariff announcement:
“Today was an important win for Canada and Alberta, as it appears the United States has decided to uphold the majority of the free trade agreement (CUSMA) between our two nations. It also appears this will continue to be the case until after the Canadian federal election has concluded and the newly elected Canadian government is able to renegotiate CUSMA with the U.S. administration.
“This is precisely what I have been advocating for from the U.S. administration for months.
“It means that the majority of goods sold into the United States from Canada will have no tariffs applied to them, including zero per cent tariffs on energy, minerals, agricultural products, uranium, seafood, potash and host of other Canadian goods.
“There is still work to be done, of course. Unfortunately, tariffs previously announced by the United States on Canadian automobiles, steel and aluminum have not been removed. The efforts of premiers and the federal government should therefore shift towards removing or significantly reducing these remaining tariffs as we go forward and ensuring affected workers across Canada are generously supported until the situation is resolved.
“I again call on all involved in our national advocacy efforts to focus on diplomacy and persuasion while avoiding unnecessary escalation. Clearly, this strategy has been the most effective to this point.
“As it appears the worst of this tariff dispute is behind us (though there is still work to be done), it is my sincere hope that we, as Canadians, can abandon the disastrous policies that have made Canada vulnerable to and overly dependent on the United States, fast-track national resource corridors, get out of the way of provincial resource development and turn our country into an independent economic juggernaut and energy superpower.”
From the Fraser Institute
By any measure, Alberta is an energy powerhouse—within Canada, but also on a global scale. In 2023, it produced 85 per cent of Canada’s oil and three-fifths of the country’s natural gas. Most of Canada’s oil reserves are in Alberta, along with a majority of natural gas reserves. Alberta is the beating heart of the Canadian energy economy. And energy, in turn, accounts for one-quarter of Canada’s international exports.
Consider some key facts about the province’s energy landscape, as noted in the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) 2023 annual report. Oil and natural gas production continued to rise (on a volume basis) in 2023, on the heels of steady increases over the preceding half decade. However, the dollar value of Alberta’s oil and gas production fell in 2023, as the surging prices recorded in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine retreated. Capital spending in the province’s energy sector reached $30 billion in 2023, making it the leading driver of private-sector investment. And completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has opened new offshore export avenues for Canada’s oil industry and should boost Alberta’s energy production and exports going forward.
In a world striving to address climate change, Alberta’s hydrocarbon-heavy energy sector faces challenges. At some point, the world may start to consume less oil and, later, less natural gas (in absolute terms). But such “peak” consumption hasn’t arrived yet, nor does it appear imminent. While the demand for certain refined petroleum products is trending down in some advanced economies, particularly in Europe, we should take a broader global perspective when assessing energy demand and supply trends.
Looking at the worldwide picture, Goldman Sachs’ 2024 global energy forecast predicts that “oil usage will increase through 2034” thanks to strong demand in emerging markets and growing production of petrochemicals that depend on oil as the principal feedstock. Global demand for natural gas (including LNG) will also continue to increase, particularly since natural gas is the least carbon-intensive fossil fuel and more of it is being traded in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Against this backdrop, there are reasons to be optimistic about the prospects for Alberta’s energy sector, particularly if the federal government dials back some of the economically destructive energy and climate policies adopted by the last government. According to the AER’s “base case” forecast, overall energy output will expand over the next 10 years. Oilsands output is projected to grow modestly; natural gas production will also rise, in part due to greater demand for Alberta’s upstream gas from LNG operators in British Columbia.
The AER’s forecast also points to a positive trajectory for capital spending across the province’s energy sector. The agency sees annual investment rising from almost $30 billion to $40 billion by 2033. Most of this takes place in the oil and gas industry, but “emerging” energy resources and projects aimed at climate mitigation are expected to represent a bigger slice of energy-related capital spending going forward.
Like many other oil and gas producing jurisdictions, Alberta must navigate the bumpy journey to a lower-carbon future. But the world is set to remain dependent on fossil fuels for decades to come. This suggests the energy sector will continue to underpin not only the Alberta economy but also Canada’s export portfolio for the foreseeable future.
Jock Finlayson
Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
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