CBCN - Sunday, May 26, 2024 - 12:00 a.m. (ET) - Segment #4

with Steven Guilbeault over Ottawa's climate agenda, everything from capping carbon emissions to curbing natural gas. Their fight has reached a boiling point. They both agreed to talk to The Fifth Estate, and they didn't hold back. I think she feels that she has to pretend she cares about this issue of climate change. It's not about facts. It's all about trying to score cheap political points. He's going too far. He's asking us to do things that are unachievable. And I live in the real world. [Susan] Alberta is key to Guilbeault's mission. With oil and gas, it contributes a third of the greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. In Smith's camp, some fiercely independent Albertans who like nothing more than taking on the feds. This generation's being robbed by Trudeau and the clowns. You got a guy that climbs buildings. So I guess you think he should resign. Oh, I think he should resign. Absolutely, absolutely. Whole Liberal government should resign. These guys are dishonest and they're thieves. When we go through history, we've gone through ice ages and hot times and everything else. So to me, that's climate change, and that's normal everyday. When scientists then say that last year was the warmest year on record, you don't believe that? I don't know. I don't know that it was. I would have to go check that, and you know, I don't think you can believe anything that anyone says these days. Welcome to another miracle on the prairies. [crowd cheering] [Susan] Smith won Alberta's election last May with a promise. It is time to put partisanship, division and personal and political attacks in the rear-view mirror. [Susan] But seemingly not for Trudeau's government. Justin Trudeau is planning on bringing forward new restrictions on electricity generation from natural gas. [crowd jeers] I cannot under any circumstances allow these contemplated federal policies to be inflicted upon Albertans. I simply can't and I won't. [crowd cheers] [Susan] It was a warning signal to Guilbeault, who joined cabinet in 2019, and two years ago was put in charge of Ottawa's climate plans with a mandate to charge ahead. It was a long climb to those halls of power. Over 20 years ago he was hanging off the CN Tower calling Canada and the US "climate killers." [Steven] Greenpeace is climbing the world's tallest building today to tell the world not to be fooled by the Liberal government. You shouldn't fear change, you shouldn't fear the Kyoto Protocol. [Susan] Two decades back, he helped colleagues with a stunt to put solar panels on Alberta's former premier Ralph Klein's roof. I was told by other premiers that he was an ideologue, and he wouldn't meet me partway, and they were right. She is attacking many of your climate change initiatives. It's a barrier, isn't it? I think that the Premier of Alberta and the leader of the Conservative Party have decided to make out of the issue of climate change a wedge issue with voters and really turn this into a culture war. I find this, frankly, immoral and unconscionable, but it is what they've decided to do. [Susan] The Liberal government's record on climate change has its own critics. In 2018 it bought a pipeline, and in 2022 Guilbeault himself approved an oil megaproject off the coast of Newfoundland. Was that a difficult decision for me? Absolutely. [Susan] But last year he put that behind him. [Steven] This is an exciting day. Today, Canada is taking a giant step forward in our fight against climate change. [Susan] Guilbeault barreled on with the government's plan to decarbonize electrical grids across Canada. Ottawa set a target for net zero electricity by 2035, going to the heart of Alberta's dependence on natural gas. Premier Smith fired back. "Albertans," she said, "would freeze in the dark." I heard you say that you've asked his cabinet colleagues to rein him in? -Yes -Do you sense that there's a division in the cabinet -about Steven Guilbeault? -I hope there is. If we get to 2035 and we aren't able to meet his unrealistic targets and he wants to put someone in jail, I guess it'll be me. -Would you? -That's simply not true. I mean, it's more hyperbole and lies. And unfortunately, in many instances that we hear Danielle Smith and Pierre Poilievre spew away every day of the week. [Susan] The Premier doubled down, invoking dire predictions of blackouts in -30. She took an ad campaign national,

calling it "Tell the Feds." They're disastrously uninformed and totally disconnected from reality. [reporter] Alberta had a rough weekend with temperatures in the minus 40s. [reporter] For much of Alberta, it was the coldest night in 50 years. [reporter] Caught in a brutal cold snap pushing the province's grid to the brink. [Susan] As if to underscore her case, in early January Alberta was plunged into record cold. [alarm buzzing] An alert urged Albertans to reduce their electricity use over fears the gas-powered plants couldn't handle the load and wind and solar power couldn't make up the difference. A perfect storm to blame the feds. Our power grid relies on natural gas. I cannot build an electricity grid in this province off wind and solar. When the sun goes down at five o'clock and just tell people to suck it up until the sun comes back up at 9:00 a.m. the next morning. And that's what he's expecting me to do. That's another false affirmation from Premier Smith. What we've announced has no impacts right now whatsoever on electricity production in Alberta. Zero. And won't for another decade. [Susan] The truth that freezing weekend had as much to do with those natural gas plants. One was offline for maintenance, the other on reduced supply. Two gas plants went down when it went really cold. That's-- that's the reality. She can try and mislead her population if she wants but that won't change the fact that it's not because of renewable energy. [Susan] In fact, Alberta was leading the country in renewable development, until Smith stopped it, with a moratorium on new projects supposed to be lifted by spring. 70% of renewable energy investment in all of Canada happened in Alberta. Danielle Smith will never talk about this because it doesn't play to her base. [Susan] The premier is putting her faith in another technology still being developed-- carbon capture, which is supposed to pull CO2 out of emissions. So far it hasn't captured enough carbon at the scale needed. [Danielle] That's how we're going to reduce emissions, is by capturing the CO2 and making sure that we-- we continue to go down a path that will get us to carbon neutrality by 2050. Why should people be confident that that's going to happen? Look at the record so far. Emissions are growing year after year. Look, it's a-- it's a global environment. And that's why it's a global solution and a global problem. We're not going to curb the production of oil and natural gas, we're going to curb the production of emissions. [Susan] The two power brokers ultimately ended up at the same place, COP28, the world's climate conference, in Dubai... with Steven Guilbeault as head of Canada's delegation, and Danielle Smith right behind. Quite frankly, if we weren't here to tell the Alberta story, no one would hear it. [Steven speaking indistinctly] [Susan] Guilbeault was making news, choosing Dubai to launch a key plank of the climate plan-- putting a cap on carbon emissions from oil and gas back in Canada. "The first oil producing country in the world to do it," he said. What you do is you put a ceiling, a limit on the amount of pollution that a company or, in that case, a sector can-- can emit. [Susan] Smith was watching, and she'd had enough, accusing Guilbeault of posturing on an international stage. No emissions cap. He doesn't understand the constitution. And the way our country works is that we both have sovereign areas of-- of jurisdiction. And in Alberta, we have the right to develop our resources. As long as they continue to invade our jurisdiction, we're going to see them in court. It is so decided. [Susan] As COP28 wound up in December, Smith blasted Guilbeault, calling him a "national embarrassment," allied with "radical activists," "sabotaging the interests of Albertans," whom she said "will not forget his continued treachery." Why is it so personal? She has called you treacherous, shameful, an eco-extremist, she wants to get you fired. Well, I mean, I know she's personalizing it, but all of these things that-- that I'm doing, whether it's zero emission vehicles, whether it's clean electricity, whether it's capping the pollution of the oil and gas sector, are all elements that are supported by cabinet, it's not the minister of the environment running on a cabal by himself here, it is supported by-- by the Government of Canada. -[Susan] Still? -Well, absolutely. [Susan] But the premier is not turning back, taking her fight directly to Ottawa and the Economic Club of Canada.

What's missing on Ottawa's side is an openness to the facts and a willingness to dismiss radical ideology in favour of reason. [Susan] She's lobbying federal cabinet ministers, but going around Guilbeault. The two have never formally met one on one. After all, she wants him gone. I continue to have the support of the Prime Minister of Canada, of cabinet. But I think that-- that Premier Smith and Pierre Poilievre have decided to side with-- with big oil companies that are making historic, record-level profits instead of siding with-- with Canadians on this issue. [Susan] On the day she visited Ottawa, Premier Smith celebrated. Alberta produced more oil in 2023 than ever before... and 2024 is projected to be higher. [siren blaring] When we come back... [man] The whole hillside's gone. [Jane] This is my sister, Tracey McKinley, and she passed away last year. [Susan] Those fed up with the politics won't wait. We need to do things differently or more Traceys will die. [mysterious music playing] The words in your head, you're the only one that can hear them. Say it! Yes I can, Yes I must. Watch me! Start your 30—day home trial at OnePeloton.ca. Terms apply. Ram Power Days are here.The power to choose fromthe most awarded truck brand over the last five years. Like Ram Classic.As versatile as it is capable. Ram 1500, voted bestlarge pickup in Canada. Or Ram Heavy Dutywith a no-charge Cummins. And you don't pay for 90 days. The power is yours.The time is now. Get 20% off MSRP on Ram Classic for up to $14,200 in discounts. Plus get 4.99% financing. ( ) When you're looking for effective pain relief choose Tylenol. It's clinically proven to start working in 15-20 minutes. ( ) Tylenol. - [Announcer] Finallythere's Alien Tape,a revolutionary new tapethat doesn't but strong enough to holdan incredible 17 1/2 pounds on most surfaces. You'll love Alien Tape. The incredible, new advanced grip technology tape that instantly locks anything into place without screws or anchors. Go online to get your rollof the incredible Alien Tape for the low, low price of $19.99. That's almost 21 feet of Alien Tape for $19.99. Don't delay. Get yours today. Here's how to order. (upbeat music) At Pet Valu, we treat your pet like our pet. Well, Georgie, it's time for adult food. And there's a lot of great options to choo... too choose from. They grow up so fast. I know... I do this like ten times a day. Looking for a natural health product to reduce your joint pain. Try Genacol® Pain Relief. This clinically proven joint care formula contains AminoLock® Collagen and Eggshell Membrane These two ingredients help reduce joint pain associated with osteoarthritis. Thanks to Genacol® Pain Relief, you can start to feel results in just 5 days! Add Canada's #1 Selling Joint Care Supplement to your daily routine and feel the difference! Genacol® Makes me feel so good! Nutty...and sweet. Latte macchiato. ( ) This one is for the prize? Intenso. No, cool. Definitely iced. ( ) Sweet. Bye. Nespresso, what else? Yeah, I like to swing. And I like to get Cash Back when I swing. Just download the browser extension and shop as usual. And click to activate Cash Back or coupons at hundreds of stores. Cha-ching. Physical activity decreases tension. ( ) So you can unwind better. Rosemary:Every week the issues that matter to Canadians. -These are acts of desperation. Rosemary:Connecting politics to people. -We will always protect and defend all NATO allies. -Some people have lost everything. Rosemary:Sundays, join me for Rosemary Barton live. [dramatic] Announcer:What's new? What's breaking? What's really going on? CBC News Network. [CBC Newstheme] Announcer:The clock is ticking for demonstrators ata pro-Palestinian encampment to clear out from the groundsof Canada's largest post-secondary institution. The University of Torontohas issued a trespass

notice for protesters toleave by 8:00 AM on Monday after a previous deadlineexpired without a resolution. The encampment was set upearlier this month to call on the university to cutalleged financial ties with Israel overthe war in Gaza. [Susan] Earth is under stress. Raging fires... unrelenting floods... and crippling drought. In only 30 years, the Arctic Ocean has lost 95% of its oldest ice. Yet it was 30 years ago hundreds of politicians first met to tackle climate change, and they've been meeting ever since. But in the summer of 2021, the Pacific Northwest had never been hotter. [siren blaring] [man] The whole hillside's gone. [Susan] Forest fires rampaged BC. By the end of June, a heat dome moved in. [passerby] Do I stay in my apartment and pass out, or do I come out here and breathe the air and be in the heat, it's like a Catch-22, you don't really know what to do. [Susan] Temperatures climbed past 40 degrees. It's never this bad. We've never experienced anything in the 40s. [siren blaring] [Susan] The region wasn't prepared for it, and it would soon have tragic consequences. [man] Oh, my God, look at that. [Susan] In Lytton, BC, the thermometer peaked at 49 degrees... the entire town destroyed by fire. At the time, Jane Armstrong was living in New Westminster, in BC's Lower Mainland. [Jane] It got very hot. I happened to be on holiday at the time on one of the Gulf Islands, and it was pretty hot then, and we came home. This would have been maybe June 26 or 27th. We came home. It was really, really hot. [Susan] Jane remembers checking in on her older sister, Tracey McKinley, who lived alone and who had a bipolar disorder. [Jane] And her mental state of mind wasn't 100%, you know? But she was an adult living on her own and for the most part, she coped. I kept phoning her and checking on her, like, "How are you doing?" [Susan] What was she telling you on the phone? That she was fine. [Susan] But she wasn't fine. That night Tracey died alone in her apartment. [Jane] The police came up and they just told me that she was found dead in her apartment. She had died in the heat. That must've been so difficult. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Obviously, if I knew she was going to die, I would have gone to get her and grabbed her and brought her to my home and said, "Hey, you could sleep in our basement." You know? But who knew? Like, no one knew this was coming. 600 people died. Like, where did they put all the bodies? I believe there was a place out in Abbotsford. [Susan]A BC coroner's report later warned there would bemore frequent heat domes as a result of climate change and confirmed619 Canadians died in a single week. Jane had always been aware of her carbon footprint. She drives a hybrid. She has solar panels on her roof. But that summer something changed. She became a protester too. My name is Jane and this is my sister, Tracey McKinley, and she passed away last year. Sometimes I don't know what to do. This is my first public gathering. It's like, we need to do something, be proactive... I feel like I've been complacent for too long and just felt like I want to get involved as a citizen and be heard... and demand change from our governments. [Susan] It must have been hard, though, to relive the very personal and painful consequence of that heat dome. Of course. Yeah. On the one hand, you get used to telling this story, and I can hold myself together, but other times it's really hard. Yeah. [Susan] What do you think she would think about you standing out there with her picture in a public space saying, "Do something"? I think she would love it. And why do you think that the fossil fuel industry should be held accountable for this? Well, they caused it. They caused a big chunk of it. There's a lot of money being made. And it's hard to, as a little person,

to stand up against that. [Susan] Today, there's scientific consensus that burning fossil fuels is the primary cause of climate change and global warming. The battle is no longer around what causes climate change, but rather how to stop it. For 30 years, the United Nations has held annual meetings to address it. In Dubai last year, they finally mentioned the words "fossil fuels." [Peter] So there was a much-to-do about the fact that this decision document from COP28 mentioned fossil fuels for the first time in the United Nations' history, which is such a low bar. It's so insane, right? [Susan] Peter Kalmus is a climate scientist with NASA. He's speaking out, not on behalf of NASA, but as a concerned citizen. He says he refuses to attend any of those UN Climate Conferences. He works remotely from North Carolina. When he has to travel to NASA's lab in California, he takes the train, to reduce his carbon footprint. He's stopped flying. Kalmus believes we're in a climate emergency. You know, there are still people who say, "weather gets warmer, weather gets cooler over history. Yeah, well, when you see a city in Hawaii burn up overnight, or when you see these crazy heat waves in the Pacific Northwest, that we've never experienced in human history. When you see flooding all around North America and China, these crazy wildfires in Greece and Spain, coral reefs dying around the world... and you write scientific papers, you do your scientific work, and it's not helping. So, yeah, because of that, I started to turn to civil disobedience. And I guess that was probably a really major turning point when I risked arrest for the first time in April of 2022. We are doingcivil disobedience at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, which, out of all the banksin the world, the one that has done the most to fund fossil fuel projects. So, I am here, because scientists are not being listened to. I am willing to take a risk for this gorgeous planet. [voice breaking] And-- and for my sons. We've been trying to warn you guys for so many decades, that we are heading towards a [muted] catastrophe. -[Susan] You risked a lot. -[Kalmus] Yeah. You're a scientist, you have a job at NASA, you have a family, and you chained yourself to a bank. Yeah, and when I did that, I thought there was an extremely good chance I would be fired. I just felt like I was being ignored as a scientist and sitting there, watching the planet basically get hotter and hotter. You know that other people say that that just makes you an irresponsible activist, and they dismiss those things. Well, I think the people who dismiss climate civil disobedience, I think they're in denial. [Susan]In a statement,J.P. Morgan said it provides "financingacross the energy sector," including "a targetof $1 trillion for climate action" over the next six years. [man exclaims] [Susan] When we come back, Frustrations boil over. Do you accept violence in this fight? Um, I am-- Do you accept blowing up pipelines? [protesters chanting] I am pumped! Yes! Announcer:The finish line is finally in sight. Maestro: One team will be crowned Race Against the Tidechampions. Announcer:On this beach anything can happen. Mm. -Oh, It makes your heart pound, it's going to be really exciting, no matter what. The words in your head, you're the only one that can hear them. Say it! Yes I can, Yes I must. Watch me! Payment plans available at OnePeloton.ca. Terms apply. ( ) ( ) The INFINITI QX60 exemplifies modern luxury. With powerful SUV performance, three rows of comfort, and a sleek-yet-daring design. ( ) Lease a 2024 QX60 from 0.99% APR for up to 24 months. Visit INFINITI.ca. ( ) Dry skin needs a little extra care. And it's natural. Treat it that way. With Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion. Formulated with nourishing prebiotic oat. Proven to moisturize dry skin. All-day. Also, try our face formula. Aveeno. Our Enercare technicians are experts at heating and cooling. Water heating and water purification. We can help you with a range of affordable solutions to help your home run smoothly. Enercare Experts at home

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