(Lisa Schick/980 CJME file photo)

By Dominick Lucyk/CKOM News

Eyre: Saskatchewan ‘not co-operating’ with emissions plan without clarity in data

Mar 30, 2022 | 3:08 PM

Saskatchewan might not comply with new emissions caps from the federal government.

The Trudeau Liberals called for a huge reduction in emissions from the country’s oil and gas sector, an industry with a big presence in Saskatchewan.

Bronwyn Eyre, Saskatchewan’s minister of energy and natural resources, joined Gormley on Wednesday to discuss the federal government’s target.

It’s safe to say she’s not happy about it.

“I think that it has come to a point where, as a result of the fact that the numbers keep shifting, one does lose track and one almost glazes over when another report comes out,” she said.

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Eyre accused the federal government of not being clear with the data it’s using to make decisions about caps on greenhouse gases.

“A lot of the numbers in the announcement (Tuesday) are more smoke and mirrors. It’s new numbers (and) it’s old numbers. They acknowledge in the report that their modelling is flawed, and it is,” she said.

She pointed out that Steven Guilbeault, the federal environment minister, praised Saskatchewan for cutting back on methane emissions in December.

But the new plan demands even more of a reduction.

“And then they turn around and say it’s going to be 75 per cent. That’s based on data about Saskatchewan that Environment and Climate Change Canada never shows us, based on data collected in Ottawa about oil and gas sites they’ve never visited,” she said.

“It comes to be about divide and conquer.”

Eyre said the provincial government plans to submit its own data, and then hash it out from there.

“We’re going to submit numbers with made-in-Saskatchewan data, and (the feds can) tell us why we can’t and how they’re wrong. Because it is very difficult to establish here where any of this (data from the federal government) is really coming from,” she said.

If that doesn’t work out, she said her government simply won’t comply.

“We feel that, increasingly, this should be a quid pro quo. You impose caps on us and tell us exactly what numbers you’re using and show us your data or we’re not co-operating,” Eyre declared.

She’s also not happy with the level of communication from the federal government.

“I can tell you that (consultation) is not happening … They talk about talking to provinces. Saskatchewan energy officials have had one 30-minute call with federal officials. One time. That’s it,” she said.