NDP branches grow apart on pipelines

If Alberta Premier Rachel Notley wants to continue to dismiss opposition to pipelines by her federal and British Columbia NDP counterparts, it may be time to make the federal and provincial branches of the NDP separate entities.

Unlike such political parties as the Liberals, the New Democrats are integrated at the provincial and federal levels. So when Albertans sign up to support Notley and her colleagues, they automatically become members of the federal NDP.

That’s why it’s strange to hear Notley say federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s hostility toward pipelines is of no consequence.

“I’m not going to get too wrapped up in what people who are not in government are doing in other parts of the country, in hypothetical conversations, over which they have no agency,” Notley said last week.

Certainly, it’s true that as the leader of the third largest party in Parliament, Singh isn’t in a position to give a green light or red light to energy projects, but the optics are terrible. Notley’s federal leader is going around the country whipping up opposition to projects her government says are not only in Alberta’s interest, but in the national interest.

More jarringly, British Columbia NDP’s Premier John Horgan has pledged to use every tool at his disposal to block the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion, which was approved by the federal government and his predecessor, Christy Clark.

It’s not uncommon to have disagreements within families, but surely it’s untenable to have NDP colleagues working against each other in such bold fashion.

Singh was in Vancouver on Friday, where he said he has three criteria that must be met for any energy projects to be approved — that Indigenous rights are respected, that Canada can meet its climate change goals if the pipeline goes ahead, and that the projects prioritize local jobs. Neither Trans Mountain nor the now-shelved Energy East projects met those criteria, said Singh.

Still, the federal leader praised the Notley government initiatives directed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. “It needs to be pointed out, Premier Notley has the most aggressive and comprehensive climate change policy in Canada. We won’t achieve our climate goals if we don’t have a premier like Rachel Notley in Alberta,” he said.

Ah, that would be the same climate change plan that was supposed to earn Alberta’s NDP government the so-called social licence for pipelines — support that hasn’t been forthcoming from the federal and BC. NDP.

If these branches of the party have such different views, perhaps it’s time to separate the organizations. — Postmedia Network