So, about this group of “hundreds” of Albertans who have accompanied Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her field trip to dusty Dubai for the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference – are they part of an official mission, or just some sort of petrostate posse of uninvited interlopers?
The first three days of COP28, as the international climate conference in the largest city of the United Arab Emirates is better known, were open only to invited guests, including delegates from national governments and observer organizations, such as environmental charities.
After today, though, it will basically become a huge trade show in an expensive and exotic locale to which almost anyone with enough money to travel who can get through a security check can book a day pass.
As a result, fossil fuel lobbyists of all sorts have poured into Dubai pushing “climate change” policies that will keep the world addicted to coal, gas oil and gas. So it’s not just the Smith gang from Alberta.
But who are the “hundreds” from Wild Rose Country – an estimate from the headline atop a Postmedia news story last Tuesday?
That Calgary Herald yarn said that “more than 100 Alberta delegates across dozens of companies and organizations, along with several politicians” would be along for the trip. (Emphasis added, of course.) Were they all supposed to be part of the premier’s entourage? That’s not clear.
Former Calgary Herald managing editor Gillian Steward’s Nov. 28 commentary in the Toronto Star provided a figure of 150 for the Alberta delegation.
A spreadsheet of the names and workplaces of those attending published by COP28 and crunched by Emily Atkins’ Heated Substack, revealed “hundreds of fossil fuel industry representatives who are actively working to delay climate policy at home.”
Andrew Leach, the University of Alberta economist and frequent critic of the United Conservative Party Government, took a run at the spreadsheet looking for people associated with the provincial government, and found 43, all nominated by the Government of Canada.
Dr. Leach posted his list to social media. It includes Ms. Smith and Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz; Ms. Smith’s husband David Moretta (listed as being from the Office of the Premier); Rob Anderson (director of the Premier’s Office and a co-author of the separatist Free Alberta Strategy); more than a dozen other senior Alberta government officials; about the same number from Alberta government boards, agencies and commissions; sundry political aides; and a couple of security guys.
That leaves aside the nameless business people cited by the Herald and the Toronto Star, of course.
So, if this is some sort of semi-official Alberta Government delegation to the fringes of COP28, what is its mission? If it is, who is actually part of the group?
Since none of these folks have any meaningful role to play in the actual business of COP28 – which stands, by the way, for the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC – what are they doing?
So far not much but “twiddling their thumbs in a corner,” as an observer in Dubai noted.
Then there is the always vital money question: Who is paying the freight?
Hint: You can count on it, at least for the people on Dr. Leach’s list, that one way or another Alberta taxpayers will pay for almost all of them. And the cost will be high: Former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Thomas Lukaszuk estimates the airfare alone for each passenger from Alberta to be more than $18,000.
So, as an aside, why hasn’t the supposedly non-partisan Canadian Taxpayers Federation spoken up about this gross waste of tax money? Surely this is worth a CTF Teddy Award like the one given to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2019 visit to India!
If one went by the Alberta Government’s official news release on the topic Tuesday, though, about all you’d know was that Ms. Smith and Ms. Schulz were on their way to the UAE. All the release had to say about the delegation was that there was one.
“At COP28, Premier Smith and Minister Schulz will participate in panels, speaking events and discussions with heads of state, ministers, municipalities, civil society representatives and chief executives from around the world about global issues like greenhouse gas emissions, CCUS, hydrogen, technology and innovation,” the news release enthused. “In addition to participating in COP28, the Premier’s delegation will meet with officials from the regions of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Doha to discuss opportunities in the energy, infrastructure, education, transportation and agriculture sectors.” (Once again, emphasis added.)
The cost of this extravaganza will be totted up and reported later, the release promised. But does that only refer to Ms. Smith and Ms. Schulz, or the whole shebang? If the government is not paying the freight, who is?
The ministerial pair’s itinerary for the two-week sojourn is vague, although it lists two “fireside chats” – which seems incongruous under the circumstances, but maybe that’s just me.
We can theorize about why the UCP Government thought an event of this sort was worth this kind of attention – especially in light of the things said by many right-wing figures about the legitimacy and value of COP28 and similar international initiatives.
Maybe they just thought it was a great excuse for a holiday on the taxpayer’s dime, as the most cynical commentators on social media have complained.
The official news release tried to frame it as a sort of trade show opportunity to peddle Alberta’s wares, although surely a delegation of this size wouldn’t normally be sent to such an event.
For all the world it looks to me as if Ms. Smith and Mr. Anderson are indulging their Alberta independence fantasy and pretending to be a national delegation, right down to the president bringing along her first gentleman.
Now, about that other Danielle Smith in Dubai …
Let’s all remember the nuisance we made of ourselves yelling at Jason Kenney, the fellow from a Virginia community adjacent to Washington D.C., just because he was known online as @JasonKenney and there was an Alberta premier with the same name. Let it be said that the American Mr. Kenney put up with our Canadian nonsense for a long time with good grace and a sense of humour.
But let’s commit now to leaving the Danielle Smith connected the Dubai Personal Coaching Center alone whenever the Danielle Smith from Canada says something stupid, especially if she says it in Dubai?
OK? Is everybody on board?
NOTE: The Metis National Council has clarified that while the two representatives from the Métis Nation of Alberta noted on Dr. Leach’s list are attending COP28, they are NOT part of the group accompanying Premier Smith. Accordingly, I have removed the reference to them in this column. However, they remain on the list published on social media, to which I have linked.
Let’s hope “our” Danielle Smith doesn’t have a chance to talk business with Sultan al-Jaber, the COP28 leader, UAE politician and chairman of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.
He must be a smart businessman, a cunning politician (he’s outside the six ruling families of UAE), and much, MUCH more accustomed to high-stakes politics. “Our” Danielle might as well wear a digital sign with a flashing message, “Swindle me NOW!”
Trivial aside: would “their” Danielle Smith, personal coach (whatever that means), consider trading places with “our” Danielle Smith? Please?
Wasn’t it this sort of wasting of taxpayers money that got Allison Redford kicked out?
Alan: And with airplane fares, no less. But Ms. Redford’s crimes, though were harder to gaslight away. Nelson Mandela’s funeral was really a matter for a federal representative; a children’s birthday party couldn’t be passed off as a high-level trade mission. In addition, Ms. Redford possessed some degree of shame. Ms.Smith and her cohorts have none, and therefore cannot be shamed. DJC
Sorry David, but Ms Redford’s “crime” as you put it was not that she flew to S. Africa on a last minute flight to Mandela’s funeral on the taxpayers dime. After all he was a close friend and she had worked with him on ending apartheid, something for which all Albertans could be very proud. Her real crime was that she spent money on putting teachers back in the classroom, and on raising the funding for AISH people to levels where it was possible to survive. Can’t have that in Alberta can we? For that she was destroyed, by a Conservative faction. Having an educated, and very intelligent, compassionate woman at the helm – tut tut, can’t have that! What we did to Ms Redford still makes me sick and I feel we all owe her an apology. Compare her trip expense to D.Smith’s entourage to Dubai. There is an old expression, “We hang minor thieves, and tip our hats to major ones.”
abpremier should be ousted immediately for obfuscating (lying) about & approving this this massive boondoggle with accompanying toadies of empty qualifications. Totally inept, irresponsible circus undermining Canada & common sense Climate Goals. Why do Albertans accept this almost criminal continuing behaviour when it is so outrageous compared with AlisonRedford’s arrogant entitlement?
“The ministerial pair’s itinerary…lists two ‘fireside chats’ – which seems incongruous under the circumstances…” True, Mr. Blogger but Dubai sits on the shores of the Persian Gulf. Today seatemperature.net lists area water to be 82.6F which it says is “very warm and comfortable.” After scorching days around the campfire a dip in the Gulf might refresh the delegates and wash away the taste of overcooked hot dogs and burnt marshmallows.
Danielle Smith thinks she’s Canada’s prime minister. She declared sovereignty. This is just the beginning.
Say what one will about the UCP and their fellow travellers. They love freebees, especially if they are financed by the Alberta taxpayer. The gang of hangers on that Danielle Smith took with her to Dubai looks more like an entourage than anyone who actually knows what they’re doing or has any say in anything. Of course, no expense should be spared when you’re trying to own the Libs, and it appears that Dubai is the place to do it. Apart from the part of the city that is reserved for Emirate’s thousands of hired-help, everywhere else in the city is reserved for those expecting the five-star treatment and a lot more. This is the city where no expense is spared, and I’m sure the UCP intends to throw public money around just to impress. “Look. We’re rich, so we must be smart, right?”
I’m not sure how this nouveau riche behaviour plays in Dubai, but I have a feeling that there were more than a few chuckles when those yokels from Alberta showed up. Showing up at a major Climate Change mitigation conference just to spout conspiracy nonsense and other lunacy does make Alberta look stupid. Stupidest people alive, indeed.
Aye aye Captain! Thar’ she blows!
Typo under photo of Andrew Each.
Fixed.
Andrew Leach photo caption is missing an L.
Thank you, David. Fixed. Sorry to take so long. I’m on the road and didn’t get to the comments until this evening. DJC
I have heard about a person who spoke to Danielle Smith, and they asked her about this issue. Danielle Smith said only 6 people were joining her on this trip. I don’t believe that for a second. The Canadian Taxpayer’s Federation is now just an extension of the Conservative parties in Canada. They won’t question anything the Conservatives do wrong, like they used to do. Very pathetic.
I believe that would be Ryan Jesrpeson on his little pod cast. I had a modicum of respect for Ryan, but he allowed himself to be lied to by Dani and now he’s apparently defending her with a straight face. Disappointing.
Alberta uses oil/gas royalties to pay the bills. In the 2022-2023 fiscal year we used something like $14 billion to cover what other sources of taxation didn’t pay for. Other provinces use things like Provincial Sales Tax and payroll tax, we use royalties.
Diversifying the economy or bringing in more people will not fix this problem The RATE of taxation paid by workers and their employers is too low to cover the costs of healthcare, education etc.
Whenever royalties fail to meet our needs, governments respond, usually badly.
Slashing costs (ala Klein and Kenney) has been a disaster. Notley chose to wait it out and hope royalties would return. Now, Smith knowing full well that a collapse in royalty revenue is on the horizon, has chosen to try to delay the inevitable. The next collapse is also likely permanent and doing nothing will not be an option.
None of these politicians has done the sensible thing and ensured that taxes (not undependable royalties) pays the bills. None of them.
Implementing a sales tax in this province will be political suicide. The party that is forced to ultimately do it will never be elected again. THAT is the fate all Alberta governments have been trying to avoid. In this, Smith is no better or no worse, than her predecessors.
All true, Cornell, and all because Albertans (especially rural Albertans) have been programmed to believe that businesses cannot do anything wrong and “the guv’mint” cannot do anything right. The worst part of the programming is that Con politicians also believe it—and therefore prove that they cannot do anything right.
Danielle Smith, to our dismay and our cost, is an extreme case. Neither she, nor her cabinet, nor her backers and enablers, can do anything right.
I have known far more, FAR MORE illiterate, uneducated or just plain ignorant folks since I moved to the city, lo these many years ago.
Your insistence that rural communities vote the way they do because they are stupid at worst or naive at best belies your own ignorance on the subject, and is both unhelpful and insulting, not to mention completely divorced from any sort of material analysis.
From where I’m sitting it looks very much like you’re massaging your own ego, and looking down on those you think you’re better than. Not much of an organizing tactic if you want any of this to actually change.
A week before the 2023 UNFCCC party in Dubai, the daily atmospheric carbon dioxide readings from Mauna Loa in Hawaii is 422.36 parts per million. That is 5.06ppm more than the same day last year. That rise in 12 months is probably the largest ever recorded – more than double the last decade’s annual average.
Does this ever come up to the huge group of Albertans at COP28?
Cop-out 28. Who even cares at this point, at least if she’s not here she’s not here. Clown show train wreck government of idiots and sycophants, what else is new ?
I care. Smith went to Dubai to “tell our [i.e. her] story” and make deals. She’s so far out of her depth, she’ll drown herself while multinational CEOs laugh at her—and rip us off.
Buddy this is alberta, both of those things have been happening for I dunno, decades ?
What she going to do a deal for? Bitumen refining ? They have oil, they don’t need our money, and we don’t have anything to offer politically.
She’s there because of the way it presents over here, in North America. It’s a political side show at a meaningless climate conference that has accomplished nothing in 28 iterations.
Getting worked up about every ridiculous stupid thing Danielle smith does just gives her attention, and a much bigger profile than she deserves.
Even using it to highlight the hypocrisy of the CTF, while a fair point, is obvious to anyone critical of the ctf and the rest don’t care and likely do not even remember what it stands for. Just because postmedia treats them like a real organization does not mean the rest of us have to at all.
I certainly would not consider being with irritating Ms.Smith as a holiday ,more like a nightmare
UNFCCCed
Or FCCCed
THAT is the Question
Scotty: Which reminds me, whatever became of the 3CP? DJC
Rochdale? I can’t remember —but thank goodness I’m totally norbal.
Smith is just another grifter. Is her husband along looking for a buyer for his restaurant? Some oil king is bound to be enticed!
I can’t even take any comfort in knowing that the unfortunate citizens of these gulf petro-states will be among the first to roast themselves in the unfolding disaster. I suppose the sheiks and emirs and whatnot have their own bolt holes in New Zealand or the South Shetlands.
As Douglas Rushkoff has pointed out, (because some of these folks literally brought him in to advise them) bolt holes will only work as long as they have the ability to pay folks to protect them, something they haven’t gamed out, because they can’t stand the thought of cooperation even when presented with their own demise. We are all we have, the rich won’t even be able to save themselves, the hubris is too great.
What does the death of a civilization or the extinction of a species look like to an observer as the event is unfolding? Would an embedded observer recognize slowly evolving systemic collapse (societal, environmental, ect.) for what it is? How would that observer know for certain? What definitive signs or cues would be visible and readily available for analysis/inspection?
[[Are internal (economic, political, moral, ethical, ect.) contradictions and inconsistencies signposts? See for eg.,
https://amp.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-64-the-house/clip/16027313-alberta-ottawa-its-complicated
At 40:00 and the analysis of extrajudicial killing and the embrace/cultivation of the double standard as it is exposed in the following,
https://theintercept.com/2023/10/05/india-canada-targeted-killings/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Israeli_assassinations
https://www.news18.com/world/israel-planning-global-campaign-to-hunt-down-hamas-leaders-report-8684890.html
Further signs and symptoms are described in the following, where;
“. . . the Petrocene Age is “the period of history in which our Promethean pursuit of fire’s energy, most notably crude oil, in conjunction with the internal combustion engine, took a quantum leap to transform all aspects of our civilization and, with it, our atmosphere. This period covers, roughly, the past 150 years, and it is peaking now.”
https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/john-vaillant-s-fire-weather-should-make-a-chill-run-down-your-spine/article_85ae082d-9278-556d-84a5-eac7f529a559.html
“Since 2016, banks have loaned “$3.8trn to the oil and gas industry” for future projects. Meanwhile, governments continue to behave like the council leaders of Fort McMurray on 1 May 2016, who, “while acknowledging openly that the fire was huge, out of control and heading toward town in historic fire weather conditions”, for two days advised citizens to go about their business as usual.”
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/aug/06/fire-weather-a-true-story-from-a-hotter-world-by-john-vaillant-review-apocalypse-in-alberta ]]
Where business as usual means the robust and normalized maintenance of habituated patterns of unrestrained consumption based upon an abundant supply of cheap energy. For the managerial class and their proxies causes and their effects emerging as negative spillovers remain largely insignificant background issues. For how long that is so remains to be seen.
“The official news release tried to frame it as a sort of trade show opportunity to peddle Alberta’s wares, although surely a delegation of this size wouldn’t normally be sent to such an event.”
I suspect they thought it would be like having a display in the Stampede’s trade show areas. I used to go and collect all sorts of government freebies at these places, the cheapest part of the Stampede experience.
Premier Moe apparently had a similar idea, spending some $765,000 on a pavilion that looks kind of empty in some photos.
https://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/sask-politics/sask-delegation-to-cop28-includes-55-companies-universities?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1701474261
They also have Saskatchewan ads up on the Dubai metro about their green products like potash and uranium:
https://nitter.net/jvipondmd/status/1731315511873712132#m
Looking forward to reading the list of attendees and the cost to taxpayers.
It’s more obvious by the hour that COP28 isn’t about saving the world so much, as it’s about saving the oil and gas industry. After the headline event with the Presidents and Prime Ministers, after the big announcements about Carbon Reduction Targets—and OK, this year’s headline about finally starting a “we’ll kick in a bit for the cleanup” feel-good fund actually is a step forward—the main event has started.
The place is packed with corporate executives, corporate PR types, corporate shills and corporate hangers-on. This is why Sultan al-Jaber was so confident he could do deals with different countries. The trade show is finally on.
Now our Danielle Smith can really strut her stuff. She’s gonna show those oil executives how a real wheeler-dealer gets things done. Money for carbon capture! Made in Alberta! C’mon down! We love oil and gas!
I wonder how many times our Danielle Smith will give away the farm, the porous rock formations beneath it (ideal for carbon storage!) and the provincial treasury along with them.
Mike J Danysh: Danielle Smith is a master of speaking with a forked tongue. During her previous stint in politics, she attacked the Alberta PCs, and the concept of carbon capture and storage. The Alberta PCs flushed $2 billion down the drain on it. Now, Danielle Smith is all giddy with excitement about the idea, and wants to spend money on it.
https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2023/09/14/Danielle-Smith-Carbon-Capture-Contradictions/
It is the twenty-eighth gathering. One thinks if they were serious they could have come to agreement in ten or less. If we are expecting these folks to solve the multi pronged ecological crisis created by capitalism, we are all going to die.
Personally, I’m going with..
“Danielle Smith -player profile
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns “……lol
Meanwhile, earlier today
Premier Danielle Smith..
“Managing emissions from Alberta’s oil and gas industry is our constitutional right and responsibility, not Ottawa’s, and we are getting the job done. Not only is it illegal for Ottawa to attempt to regulate our industries in this manner, Ottawa also hasn’t even hit one of its past arbitrary and unscientific emissions targets largely because it has little to no credible expertise regulating the natural resource, agricultural and other industry sectors in this space “…
(CBC news-live)
♀️
We were at a seniors Christmas Party to day, there were 59 of us and boy was everyone pissed at Smith and her stupid supporters. They were all saying the same thing she is even dumber than Ralph Klein and it’s hard to be any dumber than that isn’t it?
Alan K. Spiller: At least you are all a smart group of seniors. Too bad Alberta didn’t have more people like you, with all of your wisdom.
$18K for each plane ticket???
That is enough to get a lot of people off the streets for a year. My computer tells me single people in Alberta receive $919 per month to live and these travellers are paying more for their plane tickets. If that is coming out of the taxpayer’s envelope It sure would make me very unhappy if I were living in Alberta. Then there is the no small matter of hotel rates. Given Premier Smith, will not be staying at a budget hotel, who knows how much she’ll deem necessary. This little jaunt reminds me of B.C.’s former Premier, one Christy Clark, a room service breakfast cost over $700 one morning.,
Lets hope the voters get to have a look at the expenses for this vacation.
If spousal units tagged along lets hope they paid their own way. Smith’s spousal unit really isn’t a member of the Premier’s office staff, or at least the last time I check.
If any one does check out the expenses, look at the meals delivered via room service. You can charge things from the gift shop so it comes up with your meal and gets marked as a meal. Great way to get that favorite item and not have to account for it, sometimes.
perhaps Smith is taking so many people to make a grand entrance or perhaps she is feeling insecure and needs a lot of people around her. Some one might want to check if she bought a new wardrobe for the occassion and charged it to the taxpayers.
Smith will be no match for the negotiators at this conferance.
Did any enterprising reporter tag along to see how things went?
With a delegation rivaling that of the Queen of Sheba, this makes me wonder. Maybe Smith’s independence inclinations are as much, or more, about vanity and ego as ideology.
To give her some credit, she has come a long way from being a talk show radio host and failed former politician. So perhaps she decided now is the time to start enjoying the perks of power. Smith, more than most, must realize from past experience, they can be fleeting.
Of course, she wouldn’t be the first Canadian Premier to try and make a big international splash and will probably will not be the last. All this auditioning for bigger roles must confuse or perhaps amuse the foreign hosts and delegations, who probably generally just nod and smile politely.
So I doubt it really accomplishes much other than to satisfy ego and the desire for prestige. Poilievre who may be busy measuring the drapes for the PM’s office right now, should also take notice of potential storm clouds on the horizon. It may not be easy to satisfy Smith’s desires and accommodate those parts of central and eastern Canada that prefer their Premiers to be a bit more modest.
While Smith may be savoring her unexpected political come back now, perhaps she should not focus too much on that. It would be good for her to also remember her former PC contemporary who became too attached to the trappings of power. What became of whoever that was?
Smith right now may seem very comfortable and confident, but as has been often said, pride goeth before a fall.
Wouldn’t it be great if this little jaunt to Dubai cost the Alberta taxpayers millions?
No price is too high to own the PMJT and the Libs. The best part will come when there’s an order to fudge the books about these expenses.
On the matter of fudging, one wonders how far the fudging as gone. I suspect some oversight bodies have either gone silent or have been replaced by someone more compliant. Seeing that Danielle Smith likes to portray herself and being hands-on and in control, I wonder how far the shenanigans reach?
Maybe Alberta is running paper surpluses? Would that be something?