February 23, 2021 –
Under a United Conservative government, Alberta is now on court challenging Ottawa’s Bill C-69, the no-more-pipelines law.
During the election, United Conservatives under Jason Kenney promised to challenge the legislation during the last provincial election.
Bill C-69 was widely panned across partisan lines in Alberta as being a dangerous piece of legislation that would drive away investment, insert Ottawa’s nose into provincial jurisdiction, and discourage the development of any new major pipeline projects.
'Kenney vows to hold referendum on equalization payments, challenge Bill C-69' https://t.co/VQheoMXbth
— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) March 21, 2019
United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney said Bill C-69 violates Section 92A of the constitution “because it gives the federal government the power to step in and regulate right over top of us with respect to resource production.”
The court challenge is supported by Ontario and Saskatchewan at the Alberta Court of Appeal.
“I want to thank many of the intervenors, including those from First Nations and amongst job creators, who are supporting our constitutional challenge,” Kenney said.
“A growing body of economic research has demonstrated the huge flight of capital investment from Canada’s economy,” Kenney said. “One of the reasons for it is red tape, investor uncertainty, and endless delays in major projects, like pipeline projects, created by laws like this.”
Alberta’s United Conservative government has also supported a challenge of Bill C-48, the tanker ban law that blocks shipment of Alberta oil among much of British Columbia’s coast, through the Alberta Indigenous Legal Defense Fund.
Taking Bill C-69 to court is just one piece that’s part of Alberta’s fight for a Fair Deal. In 2020, Alberta successfully challenged Ottawa’s carbon tax at the Alberta Court of Appeal and made its argument at the Supreme Court. An equalization referendum is scheduled for October 2021. Alberta is appointing its own Chief Firearms Officer, created its own Parole Board, and studies into an Alberta Provincial Police and Alberta Pension Plan are underway.
