At a Glance - Week of November 5, 2024
Alberta Revives Carbon Tax Debate
During a press conference on October 29th, Premier Danielle Smith announced that the Government of Alberta applied for a judicial review of the Canadian Government’s implementation of an exception to the carbon tax when burning heating oils. As the exemption does not apply to other methods of heating used in Alberta, the Premier described the move as a double-standard approach to regional issues.
“Last year, Ottawa decided Canadians in the East deserved a three-year break from paying the carbon tax on their home heating costs. While we’re happy for these Canadians, Alberta, Saskatchewan and other provinces who heat their homes with natural gas have been deliberately excluded from these savings. Albertans simply cannot stand by for another winter while the federal government picks and chooses who their carbon tax applies to. Since they won’t play fair, we’re going to take the federal government back to court.”
Price of Oil Declines
In a response to a question posed at a press conference, Premier Danielle Smith confirmed the likelihood that the next government budget will possibly see a deficit, despite a previously projected surplus of $367 million. She identified the dropping price of oil and decreasing resource revenues as the primary cause for concern. “We need $74 oil to average throughout the year in order to run a $300 million surplus. If you look at the prices, they went down below $67 yesterday… different forecasters are projecting potentially that oil will come down to $65 in future years.”
Finance Minister Nate Horner echoed these concerns stating: “it’ll be a sincere challenge if there isn’t an uplift in the overall forecast for oil, coupled with our population growth pressures that we’re seeing on the spending side.”
In response to questions about an income tax cut, previously promised in the 2023 Alberta election campaign, Horner suggested "it's too early to get into any of those conversations, but we'll have to look at everything together, as opposed to things in vacuums."
Alberta Bill of Rights Tabled
On October 28, Bill 24: the Alberta Bill of Rights Amendment Act, 2024 was introduced to expand upon the rights protected from provincial legislation. Rights will be added to cover legal firearm ownership, vaccination choice, freedom of expression, and expanded property rights, among others.
In addition, changes will be made to strengthen the document, providing the protected rights increased legal priority when tested against conflicting legislation. Premier Danielle Smith framed the changes as being “about protecting our rights and our freedoms and ensuring our province continues to be home to freedom, democracy, and a way of life that we will continue to cherish for generations.”
Two Bills Introduced to Improve Safety
On October 30, Bill 25: Early Learning and Child Care Amendment Act, 2024 was introduced to increase penalties for non-compliant childcare providers and to increase provincial response times to unsafe childcare practices. Minister of Jobs, Economy, and Trade, Matt Jones, stated that the legislation “would strengthen the tools available to enforce quality care and give parents peace of mind that their government has their back.”
On October 30, Bill 28: Meat Inspection Amendment Act, 2024 was introduced to dramatically increase fines for improper or unlicensed slaughter of animals. To ensure that meat processing occurs within hygienic and licensed settings, fines can be raised from $10,000 to $100,000 for unlawful slaughter. RJ Sigurdson, the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation contextualized the bill stating “we are taking action to maintain public confidence in our food system. I strongly encourage all Albertans to buy their meat from licensed operators and retailers, and while buying meat, ask your retailer where the meat comes from and if it’s inspected.”