Prime Minister Mark Carney will hold a meeting with premiers on Thursday. The agenda has yet to be finalized, his office says.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Mark Carney will convene a virtual first ministers meeting on Thursday, his first since announcing an energy-focused memorandum of understanding with Alberta that has drawn sharp criticism from British Columbia.
Audrey Champoux, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister, confirmed the virtual meeting will take place.
She said Thursday’s agenda will include discussions on international trade, the domestic economy and Ottawa’s Build Communities Strong Fund, which was announced in the Nov. 4 federal budget.
The most recent virtual meeting between the Prime Minister and premiers took place on Nov. 17.
Mr. Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a wide-ranging memorandum of understanding on Nov. 27. The energy accord saw Ottawa agreeing to abandon some of its signature climate policies. It also set conditions for the potential construction of a new oil pipeline to the West Coast.
The Liberal government promoted the deal by saying Alberta made important environmental commitments, including strengthening its industrial carbon price.
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But those pledges were not enough to keep Steven Guilbeault, a lifelong environmentalist, from resigning as a member of Mr. Carney’s cabinet over the deal.
B.C. Premier David Eby responded to the MOU by saying his government should have been involved in talks about a pipeline through his province.
He also warned that the pipeline project, which could involve lifting a northwest tanker ban, could threaten $1.7-billion worth of economic activity tied to fisheries and tourism in the event of a heavy oil spill.
Mr. Eby’s office confirmed he will attend the meeting virtually and will ask the federal government to “live up to their previous commitments to invest in flood mitigation infrastructure for the Fraser Valley, a critical national trade corridor.”
He also plans to discuss B.C.’s “leadership role” in major projects, his office said, as well as chokepoints in the rail system and ways to move goods through corridors in the province.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford will be in Ottawa on Thursday and is planning to attend the meeting in person, his spokeswoman Grace Lee said.
She said Ontario is looking for an update on tariffs and trade, and Mr. Ford also wants the federal government to move on defence procurement and to use Ontario steel to build pipelines, critical infrastructure, ships and other military and defence equipment. Mr. Ford is hoping to discuss nation-building priorities and cutting red tape, she added.
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt will attend virtually and will be looking for an update on softwood lumber negotiations, according to her spokeswoman Katie Beers.
Federal Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin was in Burnaby, B.C., on Tuesday, where she held a news conference announcing new methane regulations.
During the related news conference, she defended the federal government’s environmental policies.
“Our government is working towards concrete solutions to fight climate change,” she said, adding that the enhanced methane regulations put Canada in a “strong position” on reducing emissions. “And it’s part of a larger story when we’re talking about climate competitiveness,” she said.