Climate Change is Dangerous. Dealing With it Is Worse.

Slow and steady seems to be the message from Liberal EnviroMin, Catherine McKenna.

Actually doing something effective to slash carbon emissions could disrupt Canada's national unity says Ms. McKenna pointing to Alberta.

“We need a transition to a low carbon economy. We absolutely do. But we can’t do it overnight,” McKenna said. “I’m a realist on this. There are a lot of people who have lost jobs in Alberta. I’m not saying that we destroy our planet. But I think we need to be thoughtful of how we move forward.”

"I'm not saying that we destroy our planet." Good on you, Ms. Environment Minister.  Now, let the good times roll.

Alberta has already introduced a plan to cap pollution from its oil sands industry — Canada’s fastest growing source of greenhouse gases — but will still allow the sector’s emissions to rise 40 per cent higher than current levels as part of a transition plan to diversify its economy.

The province has also pledged to introduce an economy-wide carbon tax. The details are expected in its upcoming spring budget. But it has said it needs to pursue a “thoughtful” approach to that plan, in the wake of plummeting oil prices that have hammered its oil-based economy, eliminating thousands of high-paying jobs.

“A transition that is not thoughtful and an approach in the Canadian economy (that) is not thoughtful will take the current social dislocation and inequality– people losing their jobs en masse, the collapse of communities...we are seeing (this) in Alberta right now...and make it worse and that is not great,” [Alberta enviromin Shannon] Phillips said. 

And, of course, what better time to raise the matter of new pipelines? That's Phillips' next line about "one market" that has lost Alberta $10-billion in revenue. So, haul it, let's get that stuff to tidewater ASAP.

“It’s really important for Canadians to appreciate what we have in Alberta, which is we have one commodity, one price, one market. That is what has led us to this place where we have now lost $10 billion of our revenue and we are having a hard time ensuring that we don't have really big social problems as a result of this.”

Well it sounds like sweet Catherine has got her marching orders and they're not coming from Ottawa either.