B.C. Liberal leader rips squabble over pipeline, wine
B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson has brought the Alberta-B.C. trade dispute to wine country, where a byelection is underway for former premier Christy Clark’s seat.
“What we’ve seen in the last week is essentially a fundamental attack on the B.C. wine industry,” Wilkinson told supporters at Sandhill Wines on Friday. “We’ve seen that the wine industry is now under siege; the wine workers are facing a challenge that is totally unnecessary, that has been created by a squabble between two NDP governments.”
The trade dispute heated up on Tuesday, when Alberta Premier Rachel Notley announced the Alberta would immediately stop importing B.C. wine.
Notley was responding to the B.C. government’s decision to propose new regulations that would limit oilsands bitumen shipments through the province until a scien- tific panel can look at the possible consequences of a catastrophic bitumen spill.
It was seen as a direct attack on the $7.4-billion Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project, which the federal government approved in 2016.
“This is a completely unnecessary schoolyard squabble between the Alberta government and the B.C. government and the fight was picked by (Premier) John Horgan and the NDP,” Wilkinson said. “What we need, of course, is for sober second thought about this.”
Horgan has refused to retaliate and said he won’t be distracted by Notley’s actions. He said he supports the wine industry.
Wilkinson suggested that Horgan “swallow his pride” and go to Edmonton to negotiate with Notley, and that the “more mature minds” in the federal government step in.
“We cannot let this stand. We cannot stand idly by and just watch the NDP cause this industry to run into a tailspin,” he said.
Wilkinson’s visit to Kelowna comes in the midst of a byelection for the Kelowna West riding, which is considered a safe Liberal seat.
In a statement, B.C. Green party Leader Andrew Weaver seemed to place the blame for the trade dispute squarely on Alberta.
“I am very concerned Ms. Notley has responded to concern about a lack of scientific analysis on the effect of dilbit on our coastal water by taking it out on small, familybased businesses in the wine industry,” Weaver said.