OTTAWA — Climate and energy are in the spotlight today as Canada's premiers discuss an array of issues that also include infrastructure, internal trade barriers and the health-care needs of the country's seniors.
The premiers — all but Alberta's Jim Prentice and Saskatchewan's Brad Wall — are in the penthouse meeting room of a hotel just a few blocks from Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office.
The prime minister was invited to the meeting by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, but declined to attend.
The premiers and Alberta's representative, the province's municipal affairs minister, sat around a large table and chatted before the meeting officially kicked off. Wall was scheduled to dial into the event.
Energy is a top agenda item at today's get-together.
Bob McLeod, the premier of the Northwest Territories, has announced a feasibility study that could result in an oil pipeline through the MacKenzie Valley to the Arctic Ocean.
"Our resources have been stranded for too long," he said on the eve of the meeting.
"We know we need to find a way to get our resources to market and it is time for us to take a serious look at the northern option. We recognize that there will be a lot of questions about this option, and we intend to answer them."
Oil pipelines are proving to be a hot political potato for all levels of government as environmentalists and First Nations launch spirited campaigns against them, deriding what they call "dirty oil." There are also concerns about pipeline leaks and the risks posed to ecosystems.
New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant says he's hoping the provinces and territories will agree to co-operate on energy projects, in particular TransCanada's $12-billion Energy East pipeline.
"We believe the Energy East pipeline is one that will help us grow our economy, create jobs; it's one we that we can do, we believe, in a sustainable way."
Last year, Wynne and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard — who have become close allies on climate, in particular — laid out a list of requirements that would determine whether they'd throw their support behind Energy East.
Gallant says the list of principles from his fellow Liberal premiers are reasonable and achievable. He didn't respond directly when asked how carbon pricing would affect the project.
"We have to have two separate conversations," he said.
"One, there's no doubt that as a nation we have a better job when it comes to climate change. On top of that, we also have to have a conversation about developing our economy throughout the country in a responsible way."
On the eve of the event, both Wynne and Liberal leader Justin Trudeau accused the federal government of an absence of leadership that has all but forced the provinces and territories to tackle carbon pricing and climate change on their own.
Couillard is scheduled to update his counterparts about the so-called Canadian Energy Strategy today. It's an initiative involving all 13 provinces and territories focused on climate change and clean energy.
Health care and aging is also on the agenda.
