‘A lot of Albertans are feeling like a huge weight has been lifted,’ said Heather Exner-Pirot
“Minister Guilbeault led the creation of all of these problematic and economically devastating (Liberal) policies… putting an activist agenda ahead of the well being and economic health of Albertans and Canadians from coast to coast,” Schulz told reporters in Edmonton.
“We continue to see policies from him that are devastating to the economy and jobs across Canada.”
Smith could have hardly dreamt up a better foil than Guilbeault, a lifelong environmental activist and climate zealot seemingly rolled out of central casting for the part of Alberta’s bête noire.
Calgary-based energy analyst Heather Exner-Pirot said few in Alberta will be sad to see Guilbeault move on from the environment ministry.
“A lot of Albertans are feeling like a huge weight has been lifted,” said Exner-Pirot.
Exner-Pirot said the presence of a known anti-fossil fuel activist at the helm of the federal environment ministry made it virtually impossible to coax private companies to put up money for major oil and gas projects.
Chris Severson-Baker, executive director of Alberta-based clean energy think tank the Pembina Institute, said he saw few signs of Guilbeault’s climate zealot image in his personal dealings with the minister.
“Minister Guilbeault was very pragmatic and reasonable in hearing out our concerns about the different regional effects of some of his big climate policies,” Severson-Baker said.
Severson-Baker noted that Guilbeault made Alberta-friendly revisions to federal clean energy and emissions cap regulations after lengthy consultation periods.
Carney announced on Friday that Winnipeg MP Frank Duguid would be replacing Guilbeault as minister of environment and climate change.
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