Alberta is cutting emissions, building the hottest renewable market in Canada and making homes and businesses more efficient.

But while Rachel Notley is committed to taking climate change seriously and is working to diversify Alberta’s economy, Jason Kenney only sees it as an opportunity to play politics and stir up anger.

“We have a responsibility to future generations to address climate change,” Notley said. “We believe that cleaner air, thousands of new jobs and billions in investments can help create an economy for the future.”

Notley’s plan a step away from boom and bust

After years of inaction and broken promises from Conservative governments, Notley is building an Alberta economy for the future.

Built with support from industry, economists and non-profit organizations, Alberta’s Climate Leadership Plan was designed to strengthen the economy while cutting emissions. Roughly $1.5 billion has been invested in rebates and programs and policies to create a more efficient province. By 2030, the plan is expected to reduce the same amount of emissions as taking 10.7 million cars off the road, saving Albertans more than $510 million in energy costs while supporting more than 20,000 jobs.

Protecting our environment and growing our economy can and must go hand in hand.

Notley’s team has opened up competitive bids for renewables, smashing records for cheapest wind and solar power in Canada. She has also created incentives for oilsands and industrial emitters to become more efficient, a step that builds for the future while making them more competitive in a lower carbon global economy.

Kenney intent on throwing away opportunity

While Notley has positioned Alberta for the future, Jason Kenney has doubled down on denial, deflection, and deferral.

Ignoring economists and CEOs, Kenney has mocked attempts to reduce emissions as a “marketing gimmick". While Kenney admits that climate change is real, he has questioned its causes, called carbon "plant food" and spent years saying he’ll reveal a plan... eventually.

Kenney’s do-nothing attitude will have negative repercussions for Alberta businesses. He has mused about interfering in private investments in the renewables sector, a sector that is quickly becoming some of the cheapest energy available. He has also said he will likely kill Energy Efficiency Alberta (EEA), Alberta’s agency that helps homeowners, businesses and charities cut utility bills. For every dollar invested, three dollars are returned to Albertans’ pockets, while nearly 4,000 jobs have been created so far. All that is now in question.

Jason Kenney wants Albertans to believe that climate change is someone else’s problem, but Rachel Notley believes that leadership means having a plan for the future.

“The science is settled. Climate change threatens our kids, grandkids, cities and towns,” Notley said. “Protecting our environment and growing our economy can and must go hand in hand.”