Notley says ‘gloves are off’ in battle with B.C.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau maintained his support of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion Friday during a heated town hall in British Columbia, reiterating his stance that the project is in Canada’s national interest.
“We had to make tough decisions,” Trudeau told a crowd in Nanaimo, B.C., after three hecklers were removed by authorities. “We will be moving forward with the Kinder Morgan pipeline.”
Meanwhile in Edmonton, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said she hopes the latest delay to the $7.4-billion project won’t end in an all-out trade war with B.C.
“B.C. started this fight, now the gloves are off,” she said on Friday. “We’re prepared to do whatever it takes.”
The B.C. NDP government said Tuesday it will place restrictions on bitumen shipment increases from Alberta to conduct more spill response studies.
Notley said the move is unconstitutional and illegal — and argued it’s a federal issue. B.C. Premier John Horgan defended the decision and said he was surprised by Alberta’s reaction.
On Thursday, Notley announced a retaliatory measure, suspending talks to buy electricity from B.C.
She also called on Trudeau to be more definitive.
“He needs to see this action for what it is, that is B.C. taking a shot across the federal bow, not Alberta,” Notley said Friday. “On this particular matter, they need to speak to it directly and make it very clear the B.C. government does not have the authority.”
Trudeau continued to field questions on the pipeline expansion after arriving Thursday in Edmonton ahead of a town hall at MacEwan University.
He reiterated his support for the project, which he said is in Canada’s national interest.
But in B.C. on Friday, Trudeau’s town hall crowd was more hostile.
Attendees were vocal about their disappointment in the Kinder Morgan pipeline, brandishing signs including “Climate leaders don’t build pipelines,” and repeatedly shouting over Trudeau.
“I was so upset when you approved it,” said one woman.
“We need to protect our wildlife and we need to protect our coast line,” she said, going on to plead with the prime minister. Their interaction ended with a hug.
“You can no longer make a choice between good for the environment and good for the economy,” Trudeau responded. “You have to do them both together.”
After noting he was only able to answer two questions in 25 minutes — due to heckling — he reaffirmed that the pipeline will go ahead.
“We brought in a national (carbon emissions) plan that’s going to allow us to reach our climate goals ... but in order to do that, part of moving forward is approving the Kinder Morgan pipeline, which will be able to get our resources responsibly and safely to new markets across the Pacific,” he said.
CHAMBERS STAND TOGETHER
The federal government needs to have a serious discussion with B.C. officials, said Alberta Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive Ken Kobly.
“The premier deserves credit for her stance and for her reaction to try and bring this to some sort of reasonable resolution,” he said Friday, adding that Albertans were waiting for a strong message from Trudeau on the issue.
“(But) that simply didn’t come.”
The Alberta and B.C. chambers of commerce, as well as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, issued a joint statement Thursday saying the B.C. government is sending the wrong message to investors and diminishing Canada’s competitiveness on the global market.
“The federal government has already taken several steps to implement a world-class oil spill response system,” the statement added.