"Deranged vendetta": Alberta's Danielle Smith responds to Canada's oil and gas emissions cap | FULL

"Deranged vendetta": Alberta's Danielle Smith responds to Canada's oil and gas emissions cap | FULL
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith did not hold back when responding to new regulations from Ottawa that will require oil and gas companies to cut greenhouses emissions by one-third over the next eight years.

"This is a vendetta, like he has some deranged vendetta against Alberta. It's very obvious." Smith said responding to questions about Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.

The regulations, still only in draft format and about two years behind schedule, could further strain relations between Ottawa and the Alberta government, which recently launched a $7-million advertising campaign to “scrap the cap.”

When confronted about her tone during the press conference, she said, "I'm absolutely angry because we've been working with these guys for two years because we have a plan that would reduce emissions responsibly by 2050." Smith added, "they persist in this pathway which will harm our province and harm the country. And that is not acceptable."

For the Liberals, the regulations fulfil a 2021 election promise to force the energy sector to pull its weight in the fight against climate change.

Guilbeault said the oil and gas industry is a major source of emissions, but that it has done less than most other sectors to reduce them in the battle against climate change.