Alberta
Alberta Environment Minister responds to report on ’embarrassing’ failures for Federal Minister Steven Guilbeault
Commissioner calls out federal failures: Minister Schulz
Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Schulz issued the following statement in response to a report released by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada:
“The commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development – appointed by the auditor general of Canada – has released a scathing report that should serve as a great embarrassment to federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault.
“Chief among the findings, the commissioner found that the federal government will fail to reach its own 2030 emissions target. He went further, pointing out that the federal government uses poor modelling with faulty assumptions, little analysis and no peer review.
“The federal government has also set a target of making 80 per cent of the federal government’s fleet vehicles net zero by 2030. The commissioner found that if progress continues at the current rate, the federal government will reach only one per cent of its target by 2030.
“The report goes on to find that not only are there not enough electric vehicle chargers, but the federal government doesn’t even know where EV chargers are needed.
“The bottom line is clear: this is a federal government that is setting itself and Canadians up for failure through bad and unserious policy, designed purely for international photo ops and grand announcements.
“And to whatever extent this federal government tries to implement these policies, it will end up hurting Canadians, destroying economic growth and worsening the affordability crisis in the process.
“The federal government should stay in its own lane and leave emissions reductions to the provinces that understand the industries we are constitutionally responsible for. Without top-down federal targets, Alberta has reduced methane emissions by 44 per cent and saved $600 million for industry, had we taken the federal route. We also reduced electricity emissions by 53 per cent, and per barrel emissions went down 21 per cent. The Alberta way is working, and we aren’t done yet.
“I’d like to reiterate our government’s invitation to Ottawa to work with us toward an achievable 2050 goal of carbon neutrality.”
Alberta
Fortis et Liber: Alberta’s Future in the Canadian Federation
From the C2C Journal
By Barry Cooper, professor of political science, University of Calgary
Canada’s western lands, wrote one prominent academic, became provinces “in the Roman sense” – acquired possessions that, once vanquished, were there to be exploited. Laurentian Canada regarded the hinterlands as existing primarily to serve the interests of the heartland. And the current holders of office in Ottawa often behave as if the Constitution’s federal-provincial distribution of powers is at best advisory, if it needs to be acknowledged at all. Reviewing this history, Barry Cooper places Alberta’s widely criticized Sovereignty Act in the context of the Prairie provinces’ long struggle for due constitutional recognition and the political equality of their citizens. Canada is a federation, notes Cooper. Provinces do have rights. Constitutions do mean something. And when they are no longer working, they can be changed.
Alberta
30 million contraband cigarettes valued at $25 million dollars seized in Alberta
New release from Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC)
Record setting contraband tobacco seizures result from AGLC investigations
Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) recently concluded several investigations which netted two of the largest contraband tobacco seizures in Alberta history. The combined total of the contraband tobacco seized was 154,800 cartons of contraband cigarettes (30.7 million individual cigarettes). These seizures are a result of the work conducted by AGLC’s Tobacco Enforcement Unit with the assistance of provincial law enforcement agencies.
- In a January 2024 investigation, approximately 43,500 cartons (8.7 million individual cigarettes) were seized. This equates to $7 million in retail value with a provincial tax avoidance of $2.4 million. This included the seizure of 15,000 grams of contraband shisha.
- In April of 2024, 60 wrapped pallets were seized from a warehouse setting netting a total of 111,300 cartons of contraband cigarettes (22 million individual cigarettes) which equates to over $18 million in retail value with a provincial tax avoidance of $6.6 million.
- Criminal Charges are pending in both cases.
“These are significant contraband tobacco investigations involving individuals that are part of organized networks whose proceeds defraud Albertans millions of dollars in tax revenue. AGLC will continue to work with our partners to investigate and disrupt the individuals and organizations involved in these illegal activities as part our commitment to a strong contraband tobacco enforcement program in Alberta.”
- Gary Peck, Vice President, Regulatory Services, AGLC
“Contraband tobacco hurts law abiding businesses that follow the rules, and it costs Albertans millions each year from lost tax revenue. Our government is committed to keeping illegal tobacco off the streets and ensuring that the sale of tobacco products comply with the law.”
- Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction
Over the last nine months, AGLC’s Tobacco Enforcement unit has seized an estimated 35 million contraband cigarettes and 115,000 grams of contraband shisha from across the province. The total potential lost tax revenue is estimated to be more than $10.1 million.
Contraband tobacco:
- is any tobacco product that does not comply with federal and provincial laws related to importation, marking, manufacturing, stamping and payment of duties and taxes;
- comes from four main sources: illegal manufacturers, counterfeits, tax-exempt diversions and resale of stolen legal tobacco; and
- can be recognized by the absence of a red (Alberta) or peach/light tan (Canada) stamp bearing the “DUTY PAID CANADA DROIT ACQUITTÉ” on packages of cigarettes and cigars or pouches of tobacco.
In addition to lost revenues that may otherwise benefit Albertans, illegally manufactured products also pose public health and safety risks as they lack regulatory controls and inspections oversight.
Albertans who suspect illegal tobacco production, packaging and/or trafficking are encouraged to contact AGLC’s Tobacco Enforcement Unit at 1-800-577-2522 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Under a Memorandum of Understanding with Alberta Treasury Board and Finance, AGLC enforces the Tobacco Tax Act and conducts criminal investigations related to the possession, distribution and trafficking of contraband tobacco products. In 2022-23, provincial revenue from tobacco taxes was approximately $522 million.
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