Ottawa is proposing a major workforce shift toward a net-zero economy, calling it a transition toward sustainable jobs. With the plan being based on a definition of “sustainable” that the feds say will stay fluid over time, it’s causing widespread fears of a phasing-out of the oil and gas industry. Bill C-50, known as the…

The Prairie provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan are united in their opposition to Ottawa’s sustainable jobs act and net-zero plan. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told reporters on June 14 that his province will not be implementing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s ‘Just Transition’ legislation, as Bill C-50 has been called, and will also not be taking part…

The Conservative Party says the Liberal government’s recently introduced Sustainable Jobs Act will “kill thousands of jobs” across Canada as it aims to move oil- and gas-sector workers into green-energy jobs over the coming years. Conservative MP and natural resources critic Shannon Stubbs said in a statement on June 19 that the proposed Bill C-50—which has…

The federal government has introduced its “just transition” legislation aimed at moving oil sector workers into green energy jobs in every region of Canada as the Liberals look to move the country toward national net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson introduced Bill C-50, or the “Sustainable Jobs Act,” in the House…

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says he is confident he can work with newly re-elected Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her United Conservative Party (UCP) on points of disagreement regarding some of Ottawa’s climate policies centred on reaching net-zero national emissions by 2050. “I’m confident that we will be able to work our differences out with them,”…

The federal government says around 14,000 jobs are expected to open up in Canada’s oil and gas sector over the next eight years, creating a need for more workers in the industry despite Ottawa’s planned “just transition” that would see oil sector workers move to green energy jobs. In an Inquiry of Ministry tabled in…

The federal government has rejected a proposal that would allow coal workers to obtain early access to their Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits for workers who face “earlier than planned” retirement due to climate regulations. A letter by Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson in response to a parliamentary committee report making the proposal, said the…

Commentary In 1980, I was struggling MBA student. The University of Toronto exposed me to the radical, for the times, ideas of the Chicago school economic thinkers like Milton Friedman and George Stigler, and Austrian school giants like Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek. These two “schools” of economic thinking championed individual freedom and capitalism…

News Analysis In efforts to reach net zero by 2050, Ottawa’s strategy to transform the workforce toward “sustainable jobs”—”green” jobs in a low-carbon economy—sparked extensive criticism from analysts due to its top-down approach and departure from traditional market-based economics. On Feb. 17—the Friday before a long weekend and overshadowed by the verdict on the government’s…

The Liberal government has released its “just transition” plan that claims it will not trigger massive unemployment in the country’s energy towns. Released on Feb. 17, the “Sustainable Jobs Plan” says the federal government aims to create “sustainable jobs” in every region of Canada as it looks to move the country to a “net-zero world.”…