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On Friday's episode of The Ezra Levant Show, Ezra was joined by Lorne Gunter, senior political columnist for the Edmonton Sun, to discuss Prime Minister Mark Carney’s latest energy announcement and disappointing deal for Alberta’s oil industry.

Ezra argued that Carney’s proposal was falsely presented as a victory for Alberta and the oilpatch, despite including new carbon-related costs and regulations that he says will make Canadian energy less competitive.

“Danielle Smith seemed happy by this, because the pain [Carney is] imposing is less than the pain he was going to impose,” Ezra added. “I’m sorry, I don’t consider that a win.”

Gunter echoed those concerns, criticizing the government’s push for carbon credit markets and comparing them to “indulgences” sold in medieval times. He argued that without government intervention, there would be little real demand for carbon credits at all.

“Unless you have a government that's creating an artificial market for them, there is no market for it,” Gunter said.

The pair also discussed the economic realities facing Canadian energy producers, pointing to comments from Cenovus executives acknowledging that expensive carbon capture projects do little to improve the product itself or increase global demand for Canadian oil.

“They’re not going to pay an extra 20% to Canada just so that we can feel as though we've made Greta Thunberg more comfortable,” Gunter remarked.