Alberta uses Sovereignty Act for 1st time over federal climate change plan

Alberta’s premier wants to send a message to Ottawa – invoking the province’s Sovereignty Act to push back on the federal government’s plan to fight climate change.

The Trudeau government is calling out Alberta for “political gestures,” following Premier Danielle Smith’s decision to fight Ottawa’s net-zero plan yesterday.

Smith says the move will ensure the province can opt out of the proposed clean-electricity regulations and avoid disruption to its gas-powered grid.

The federal government’s drafted regulations were tabled in the summer and require any power plant that creates greenhouse-gas emissions to either close or install emissions abatements by 2035.