Notley fears feds will leave pipeline hanging

Premier Rachel Notley’s crew won’t say it outright, but they’re worried that Ottawa could slide away from full support for the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion.

This doesn’t have to be outright abandonment of federal power over interprovincial trade. It could simply mean the feds fail to push the B.C. government hard, or at all, and leave the fight entirely to Alberta until Kinder Morgan quietly folds up its tent.

And before you know it, there’s a friendly environment for the Liberals on B.C.’s Lower Mainland during next year’s federal election.

Notley says one key reason for her boycott legislation is to “make sure that everyone keeps the priority for that project as No. 1 on the front burner.”

She has to stir up a regional crisis to hold Ottawa’s attention. A premier certain of her federal ally wouldn’t feel the need to do that.

What Alberta gets for this cockeyed necessity is dete- riorating relations with the people of a province most of us deeply admire.

Notley always talks about how much she’d regret causing serious distress to British Columbians. She means it. And yet, there’s now serious risk of a trade war that would be Ottawa’s fault. It’s being fomented by federal lassitude — or something far worse, pure lust for another Liberal majority.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau often boasts of his prized national deal — climate change action in return for a pipeline to tidewater.

He has blasted B.C. Premier John Horgan for threatening that whole plan with his opposition. But federal actions reveal a double standard.

Simply put, if you’re against a pipeline, no problem. If you’re against a carbon tax, look out.

Ottawa has just pulled $62 million in climate change funding from Saskatchewan, which refuses to implement a provincial carbon tax.

This news came in a March 9 letter from federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna to her Saskatchewan counterpart.

“The condition for receiving your province’s allocation under the Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund was signing on to Canada’s clean growth and climate action plan,” she said. “Your decision not to sign on to the national plan means that Saskatchewan’s allocation will now be moved into the second phase of the Fund, the Low Carbon Economy Challenge.”

The money will be spread around other provinces. Laughably, Ottawa says Saskatchewan can also apply for it.

Saskatchewan is still faced with a federal carbon tax. Why take away money intended to help with climate measures, except as political punishment?

Horgan, by contrast, is challenging federal authority over interprovincial trade, the very glue that holds the country together.

Trudeau does nothing. He has not talked about pulling funding for programs. He hasn’t said anything about eliminating or curtailing the $1.5 billion to be spent on marine safety as part of the pipeline deal.

The sole hint of retaliation, in fact, was cancellation of a news conference after one of Horgan’s escalations was announced.

In fact, B.C. now comes in for McKenna’s specific praise.

Providing measures for Saskatchewan to emulate, her letter says, “For example, British Columbia’s revenueneutral carbon tax provides targeted support to both lowincome and rural residents.”

She doesn’t praise Alberta’s carbon tax, which has versions of those features.

Horgan must sometimes wonder what he could possibly do to make the feds penalize B.C. Probably nothing.

Notley must ask what she has to do to get some action out of Trudeau. (In the Alberta legislature Wednesday, she said if the pipeline isn’t built, there’s no way Alberta will sign on to Ottawa’s plan to raise the carbon price to $50 by 2022).

At this point, she seems mercilessly trapped. Her measures are alienating B.C. without bringing the necessary federal pressure.

Protests are gearing up on the Lower Mainland. There’s a growing belief Trans Mountain expansion will never happen, despite federal approval. (Northern Gateway had that too, remember?)

And Alberta New Democrats who believed Trudeau’s line about getting the pipeline built are starting to wonder.