No joy for Notley in NDP’s B.C. triumph
Colleagues she worked to help in past now oppose the pipeline Alberta badly needs
This should be a happy Canada Day weekend for the Alberta NDP.
With the ascension of John Horgan's New Democrats in B.C., NDP governments will rule both provinces simultaneously, for the first time ever.
Cross-border power has been a dream of party loyalists for decades, even when there wasn't the ghost of a chance the NDP could win in Alberta.
Like many other Alberta New Democrats, Premier Rachel Notley once went to work for the cause in B.C. So did her principal secretary, Jim Rutkowski, and her chief of staff, John Heaney.
All three are native Albertans. Rutkowski, Heaney and others returned after Notley's stunning win. They know Horgan very well and consider him a friend.
They should be out splashing around in the legislature wading pool on Saturday. Shoulder-toshoulder with natural allies, and all that.
But it isn't like that at all, despite Notley's effusive welcome of Horgan, and her vows to co-operate. His vow to block the Kinder Morgan pipeline makes them political enemies.
Notley is more closely aligned on the pipeline with Christy Clark, the Liberal premier who departs with her reputation in shreds, after parroting NDP and Green policies in a shabby effort to hold office when she failed to win a majority on May 9.
When that didn't work, Clark asked B.C.'s lieutenant-governor to dissolve the legislature for a new election — exactly what she had publicly vowed not to do. The L- G refused after what was reportedly a testy meeting.
The Liberals are now thoroughly discredited. Some of that will stick to the pipeline project. Clark and her MLAs can't be counted on to argue for their own agreement in the legislature.
Notley's people still harbour hope that Horgan will soften his stance once he has access to government documents and realizes that the legal standing of federal approval is rock solid.
The Alberta New Democrats say obstruction would cause Horgan plenty of problems, prompting lawsuits and widespread civil disorder that most British Columbians won't want. Polls have shown that more than half the population supports the pipeline.
It's just possible that Horgan might be amenable to a compromise. As recently as last December, he said: “I find it difficult to see how making Vancouver an export terminal for oil is in the interest of B.C. But I can be persuaded.”
His position hardened as the campaign for the May 9 election approached. He vowed frequently to use every tool at his disposal to block the pipeline.
Now Horgan will be the premier. And Green Leader Andrew Weaver is whispering in his ear. Three Green MLAs hold the balance of power in Horgan's minority concoction.
Weaver is even more ardently opposed to Kinder Morgan. His record suggests he'll never agree to shipping large volumes of bitumen off the coast.
The slightest softening of Hor- gan's opposition could prompt the Greens to withdraw their support. That would bring down the government. Horgan isn't likely to risk his premiership for a project that's been nothing but trouble.
One risk for Notley is that some of her people might go back to B.C. and work for Horgan. Conservatives perk up at the thought. That would be the ultimate propaganda weapon.
It won't happen, says Notley's communications boss, Cheryl Oates.
“Honestly, we're not concerned about staff leaving our majority government to go work in B.C.," she said.
“The people who work in the premier's office are absolutely dedicated and focused on Alberta's best interests and that includes making sure Kinder Morgan is built.”
But here's the ultimate irony. After Notley fought for years to elect the B.C. NDP, her partisan dream has come true. And it might get her defeated.