Weyburn 鈥� Tina Beaudry-Mellor, 小蓝视频 for Regina University since April 4, 2016, was the first person to throw their hat in the ring for the Saskatchewan Party leadership, and, with it, the position of premier. She had been minister of Social Services prior to the leadership race.
On Oct. 16, in Weyburn, Pipeline Newsspoke to her in-depth about her energy policy.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e going to build on what we鈥檝e been doing up to the present time. We鈥檝e been hearing from a lot of our stakeholders that they鈥檙e pleased with the position the Saskatchewan Party government has made on energy policy. They鈥檙e pleased with the climate of investment we鈥檝e established. They鈥檙e certainly pleased with the advocacy on the national and global stage, with respect to energy policy,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 frankly am frustrated, as I鈥檓 sure are many others in this community, about the National Energy Board鈥檚 regulator environment. I think that鈥檚 something we are going to need to aggressively attack, from the perspective of not just Saskatchewan鈥檚 interests, but Western Canadian interests in energy production and resources. We do have significant work 小蓝视频 done on carbon capture and storage.鈥�
She noted Husky鈥檚 pilot project with carbon capture and storage (CCS) near Lloydminster and the two CCS projects in southeast Saskatchewan. Additionally, zero-tillage agriculture factors in as a carbon sink. 鈥淭hese things are not getting factored into the federal equations when it comes to emissions.鈥�
Noting the candidates all will want to protect and advocate on behalf of resource industries in the province, and be opposed the federal carbon tax, she said what differentiates her is, 鈥淥ne of the additional angles or dimensions on this, on Energy East, Canada just lost 8,000 or so jobs. This is significant when you consider, here in Saskatchewan, the incredible pressure on human services ministries. Three-quarters of our budget is health, social services and education. And if we want to reduce government footprint, that鈥檚 going to be difficult to do if we鈥檙e not able to grow jobs.鈥�
She said the impact of the carbon tax, small business tax changes, and cancellation of Energy East, make a difference.
Asked about oil and gas royalties, Beaudry-Mellor said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have an appetite for changing them, certainly not upwards, and, if we were going to adjust them downwards, we would have to make up that lost revenue in other places.鈥�
Premier Brad Wall went to Washington several times, lobbying for the energy industry. Asked if she would do the same, she said, 鈥淎bsolutely.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e had the pleasure, already, of 小蓝视频 in Washington as a guest of (Senator Lindsey) Graham, (fomer U.S. ambassador to Canada) David Wilkins, in May. It was a family vacation, but also an opportunity to create connections with them. That鈥檚 probably one of the most exciting aspects of the job, to be frank with you. My overall vision for province is we become the economic powerhouse of the West. I think the premier has done an excellent job in building that foundation, but with this election of the Green/NDP in B.C. and the Notley government in Alberta, and the existing relationships Premier Wall has built in Washington, I think we can play a very key role in the next decade, and an important role, if you look at (President Donald) Trump鈥檚 positions around the Trans-Pacific Partnership and North American Free Trade Agreement. There鈥檚 some significant concerns. there, particularly with respect to livestock, for example,鈥� she said.
With regards to pipelines, and particularly the now-failed Energy East project, she said, 鈥淧ipelines are far safer than road or rail, so that nullifies that one particular argument. The second reason to advocate for pipelines is to be able to get to tidewater or to eastern crude markets.
鈥淚 have a number of frustrations about this file. The first one is the regulatory environment from the National Energy Board. The second one is the environmental argument and the third is the safety argument. I think all three are flawed. I鈥檝e already spoken to the safety argument. The National Energy Board 鈥� the regulatory red tape that companies have to go through in order to invest in a major job creation project is asinine. I鈥檓 shocked the federal government doesn鈥檛 step in and advocate to clean that process up before a company spends a billion dollars on regulator red tape. The government should be advocating on their behalf, for such a project, not sitting idly by and then cheering when it fails. It鈥檚 nonsensical, on so many levels. I think the premier鈥檚 quite right, that we need to rethink equalization payments if this is the kind of approach we鈥檙e going to take,鈥� Beaudry-Mellor said.
She said the inclusion of natural resources in the equalization calculations needs to be revisited, saying there are two options. One is to press on the equalization position. 鈥淭he second one, I鈥檒l be frank, is we clearly have a federal government that does not have western concerns in mind.鈥�
On carbon capture and storage and a carbon tax, Beaudry-Mellor said she鈥檚 not familiar with all the science, but like her colleagues, will oppose a federal carbon tax. But if a court challenge is not successful, we need a made-in-Saskatchewan solution. 鈥淕iven all the other things the federal government is doing, I would be inclined to invoke the notwithstanding clause, though,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am not convinced it is unwinnable, and I think that we have an important role to play in sending a very strong message that the combination of all these policies is wrong.鈥�
Saskatchewan could do a better job talking about what we鈥檙e doing carbon capture and agricultural carbon sinks, and it鈥檚 not easy to do in 140 characters, she added.
Beaudry-Mellor is interested in building an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the province, thinking towards the next 10 years. 鈥淚 would be interested in hearing from the energy industry what kinds of innovations we could support through an entrepreneurial ecosystem based on innovation.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 looking at the next generation and I鈥檇 like to see where we might take our energy industry, going forward, and if there are any made-in-Saskatchewan innovations that we could help foster.鈥�
She鈥檚 thinking of a synergy between the Petroleum Technology Research Centre and the Sask Capital Network or some other angel investment. 鈥淲e would have to feed our skills training from Sask Polytechnic, obviously, the University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan faculties. But then provide a space, like an incubator space, for these things to incubate.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檇 like to see our tech sector grow, and I鈥檓 particularly interested in the tech side of this.鈥�
To that end, she鈥檚 also like to see entrepreneurship and financial literacy as a mandatory part of the K-12 education.
鈥淚鈥檓 increasingly frustrated with the vilification of business in this province,鈥� she said, noting that many businesses make strong contributions to communities. 鈥淲e need to turn that narrative around. It鈥檚 very frustrating, when I see, 鈥楽top the cuts,鈥� when the same group will cheer for the loss of Energy East, not realizing the loss of those jobs would result in pressure in our human services ministries that we can鈥檛 sustain.鈥�
