Trudeau says Federal Court ruling gives certainty for new energy projects

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived for his late rainy afternoon talk on Thursday at the Vancouver Convention Centre without fanfare and without a protester in sight.

Wearing a dark suit and red tie, he strode through the lobby of the Pan Pacific Hotel in downtown Vancouver to a Greater Vancouver Board of Trade event without any of the people in the lobby noticing.

Trudeau on previous visits to B.C. this year was dogged by protesters unhappy with his decision to commit the federal government to purchase the $4.5-billion Trans Mountain pipeline.

In August, several hundred protesters banged on pots and blew whistles outside a conference centre on Vancouver Island, challenging him on his support for plans to expand the pipeline.

Speaking to attendees at Thursday’s event, Trudeau said he was “frustrated” by the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision to quash the previously approved pipeline expansion.

However, Trudeau said the Federal Court ruling had now created a process to follow when seeking approval for big projects, as is now happening again for the pipeline expansion.

Under changes the government is making, when a company decides to invest in a project it will know what timeline it is looking at and what the risks are, he said, adding that once the process has been successfully completed, it will also protect businesses from lawsuits on consultation and environmental protections.

“So this is about creating that greater degree of clarity for businesses,’’ Trudeau said.

Before his talk, there was a long lineup of attendees waiting to register.

“I’m hoping he’ll say something about the trade deal, I’m hoping to hear a lot about that,” Manisha Dhanoya, who works for Board of Trade member Purdy’s Chocolates, told Postmedia News.

Specifically, she wanted to know about import taxes because that directly affects Purdy’s business.

Sara Namazi, who recently opened Avicenna Holistic Centre in Vancouver, said she joined the board of trade just days earlier and was hoping to hear if Trudeau had any plans to lower taxes to help small businesses like hers.

She also said she would like the federal government to bridge the gap between traditional medicine and holistic medicines so the natural remedies would be available to more people.