Ex-Sask. premier slams Trudeau on pipeline inaction

Former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall scorched the Trudeau’s government’s performance on the Trans Mountain pipeline dispute between B.C. and Alberta on Thursday, saying its energy policy is deepening national divisions.

And while Wall encouraged Alberta’s premier to be remorse less in her fight in support of the pipeline’s expansion to the west coast, in his first interview since leaving politics last month, healso ridiculed Rachel Notley’s reliance on a carbon tax as a social licence to push energy exports.

Ottawa’s stance on a host of energy issues, culminating in what he calls its lukewarm support of the pipeline project, amountstoanotherNationalEnergyProgram(NEP), a federal policy from the early 1980s many in Alberta blame for undermining the petroleum industry, the ex-premier said.

“We have to decide, are we proud or ashamed to have a world-class energy resource? It’s paid a lot of bills in this country, transfer payments and a lot of jobs ... because right now it looks like most of the country is ashamed of it,” Wall told Postmedia.

“It’s a source of shame for the federal government, for ministers of the federal government whowill talk about the economy and environment living together, but every single policy decision and even a lack of action on Trans Mountain lately indicates they’d just (prefer) this industry not exist here.”

Canada, he said, is in danger of losing its national cohesion in favour of provincial or regional self interest as B.C. attempts to thwart Alberta’s plans of moving oilsands bitumen to the west coast, he said.

“We’re at a crossroads. I’m worried about where we’re at,” Wall said. “If you look at the cumulative effect of everything the federal government has done, we’re in the middle of NEP 2.0.”

Those comments came two days after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued his strongest words supporting the pipeline, saying B.C. premier John Horgan’s stance threatens to scuttle climate change action pushed by Alberta as a social licence for energy development.

Ottawa has insisted the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion will occur and says its officials have been working privately to ensure it.

On Feb. 2, Trudeau was relentlessly heckled by pipeline opponents at a town hall meeting in Nanaimo, B.C.

Some of those opponents have accused the federal government of ignoring scientific reports stating considerable uncertainty remains over the ability to limit damage caused by marine bitumen spills.

When asked if Notley is doing enough to further Alberta’s interests with TransMountain, Wall said she can’t relent.

“She needs to continue to do everything, to leave no stone unturned, to make sure the implications of this are understood across the country,” he said, noting Notley’s boycott of B.C. wine and the creation of a task force on the dispute.

But he said Notley’s hopes that implementing a carbon tax would mitigate environmental concerns around energy projects have been both misguided and dashed.

“This notion around social licence is nonsense ... for someof the NGOs who are fighting oil and the B.C. NDP and the left in general, the self-immolation of a carbon tax has bought zero social licence,” he said.

Meanwhile, a survey of 938 respondents conducted last week by pollster Insight West shows 48 per cent of British Columbians support the pipeline expansion, while 44 per cent are opposed.

The highest level of opposition was in Metro Vancouver, with 49 per cent not in favour.

Wall will be in Calgary speaking at a March 12 luncheon at the Telus Convention Centre. Tickets are available at calgarychamber.com