New Leader Of Alberta Province Chips Away At Trudeau's Green Plan

"OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s already shaky bid to persuade Canadians to fight climate change will get even tougher after the election on Tuesday of conservative Jason Kenney as premier of the energy-rich province of Alberta.

Kenney and his United Conservative Party easily trounced left-leaning incumbent Premier Rachel Notley of the New Democratic Party in the provincial vote, where climate actions were made the scapegoat for Alberta’s economic woes.

The province’s economy has struggled to recover since oil prices plummeted in 2014 and spurred an exodus of major energy firms from Alberta.

Kenney, who opposes much of Trudeau’s green agenda, had pledged to repeal a provincial carbon tax that Notley introduced. Such a move would automatically trigger a federal carbon tax in Alberta that is aimed at provinces that do not have their own plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions."

Julie Gordon reports for Reuters April 17, 2019.

Source: Reuters, 04/18/2019