Tories Say Sustainable Jobs Act Will Cause Significant Job Loss

Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 8, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

The Conservative Party says the Liberal government’s recently introduced Sustainable Jobs Act will “kill thousands of jobs” across Canada as it aims to move oil- and gas-sector workers into green-energy jobs over the coming years.

Conservative MP and natural resources critic Shannon Stubbs said in a statement on June 19 that the proposed Bill C-50—which has been referred to as the federal “just transition” legislation—is a “job-killing plan” that will displace “450,000 direct and indirect jobs” across the country.

“Bill C-50 will set out a plan to kill hundreds of thousands of good-paying Canadian jobs and make life more expensive for everyday Canadians,” Stubbs said the statement, adding, “A ‘Just Transition’ is anything but just, and Trudeau’s ‘Sustainable Jobs’ plan is anything but sustainable.”

Bill C-50, which is also called the Sustainable Jobs Act, was introduced last week in the House of Commons by Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.

If passed, the legislation will establish a plan aimed at creating “sustainable” green-energy jobs for oil and gas workers to transition into across the country as the federal government looks to move Canada toward national net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The bill’s introduction came after months of anticipation and reports concerning the pending legislation—including a contentious briefing note prepared for Wilkinson over a year ago, that said the legislation could impact over 2.7 million Canadian workers.

Wilkinson said the numbers in the note were misinterpreted and were actually only representative of overall sector workforce numbers. The minister also previously said that Ottawa’s just transition plan will create more jobs than it will eliminate.

Criticism

Some provincial premiers and the federal Conservatives have criticized the government’s plan, with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith previously saying it should “concern” all Canadians and the Tories saying it will “make life more expensive.”

“Trudeau’s woke policy will kill 170,000 direct Canadian jobs, displace a further 450,000 direct and indirect jobs, and risk the livelihoods of 2.7 million Canadian workers,” Stubbs said in her statement on June 19.

She added that the plan will “undermine” Canada’s energy security, lower the country’s GDP by 10 percent, and “drive up the cost of energy and goods for all Canadians.”

Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan has said that he dislikes the phrase “just transition” but that the Liberals’ proposed legislation on the matter does not aim to phase out Canada’s oil and gas industry.

He also said in an Inquiry of Ministry in March that his department expects around 14,000 jobs to open up across Canada’s oil and gas sector over the next eight years, creating a large need for replacements.

Wilkinson has defended Bill C-50 since he introduced it on June 15.

“Having a serious plan to address climate change is required to have a serious plan for Canada’s economic future,” he said in the House on June 15, adding, “With the tabling of the Sustainable Jobs Act, our government is choosing to seize the moment.”