Alberta Premier Rachel Notley didn’t mince words after being asked to comment on a highly publicized visit from movie actress Jane Fonda.
Fonda joined with Canadian aboriginal leaders to say Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent approval of the two pipelines is a betrayal of his promises to move on climate change.
She also told reporters the message of Trudeau’s first year is that you shouldn’t be fooled by good-looking Liberals.
The celebrity toured the oil sands in northern Alberta on Tuesday in a bid to support indigenous leaders who oppose the industry.
Notley pulled on her own experience in making the argument that Alberta needs to improve its record on the environment in showing how far off-base Fonda is in her arguments.
“I’ve been a bit frustrated when opponents to that argument engage in non-fact based generalizations and exaggerations and assertions that move away from you know, science and fact. The same frustration exists with some people on the other side of the argument and that was demonstrated very clearly today by Ms. Fonda,” said Notley.
Notley called Fonda’s attempt to come to a province that is dealing with a significant economic downturn and flying over a city that is dealing with one of the largest natural disasters in the history of Canada and lecture them as to where they can get jobs as ‘super tone deaf.’
“I would suggest that dining out on your celebrity is something that one ought to also pair with knowledge and research and she failed to do that and I don’t think as a result that much of her intervention requires or deserves the air time it’s getting because it’s very clear she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
The premier says her government offered to meet with her and discuss the Climate Leadership plan but her staff was never given the opportunity.
She says the real way to make substantial progress on the environment while promoting economic security and job stability is to bring everyone together and to work through problems in a pragmatic approach.
“You can’t do that if you don’t have the facts,” she said.
In terms of working with the indigenous leaders that Fonda represented, Notley says she doesn’t mind being pushed to do better but that’s different from hearing “it’s impossible to pair it with economic sustainability.”
