Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is warning the Senate against passing the federal Liberal government's environmental assessment bill in its current form, saying it risks inflaming a burgeoning national unity "crisis" in his province. Kenney said he is prepared to launch a constitutional legal challenge against the legislation if it is passed by the Senate as written, saying Ottawa is unfairly intruding on an area of provincial jurisdiction. To this point, environmental reviews for these sorts of projects have been the exclusive jurisdiction of the Alberta Energy Regulator. "You can't exempt something when you don't have the right to regulate it in the first place," Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage said Thursday. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi said he wants to see "earlier and regular engagement" with Indigenous communities to ensure their rights are properly respected through meaningful consultations on major natural resources projects.

Source: CBC News May 02, 2019 13:56 UTC