B.C. premier offers to discuss pipeline on Calgary visit
Christy Clark and Alison Redford may meet in Calgary next week, but it appears there is little common ground to be found between the British Columbia and Alberta premiers on the contentious Northern Gateway pipeline.
In an open letter to Redford sent Wednesday, Clark offered to meet Redford but reiterated the five conditions her government has set out for B.C.’s approval of the proposed $5.5-billion project, including that B.C. receives a “fair share” of the fiscal and economic benefits of the pipeline.
Redford — with the backing of other provinces — has flatly refused any sharing of Alberta energy royalties. Clark in turn has refused to take part in any discussions around Redford’s call for a Canadian energy strategy.
On Wednesday evening, Redford said her office read Clark’s letter only after it was out on social media.
“It didn’t actually ask for a meeting but we took the initiative and my chief of staff called her office about two hours ago, and said if you’re in Calgary, our door is always open,” the premier told reporters after she spoke at a dinner event in Calgary.
“I didn’t get a sense from the letter than an awful lot had changed but (I) have always always been willing to have conversations, and so we’ve asked them to provide us with some dates and times that might work for them, hopefully next week.”
Redford said she’s happy to talk to Clark about a number of issues related to pipeline development.
“The only thing that we’ve said, and we continue to say, is that our position hasn’t changed, and royalties — that are being paid to Albertans — are not on the table, and we won’t discuss that.
“If she wants to meet, we’re happy to meet,” Redford added.
Redford’s press secretary, Kim Misik, said it’s valuable to keep lines of communication open between premiers.
“If Premier Clark maybe has more questions or she would like to clarify anything that she’s put out, there’s value in that,” she said.
Clark’s spokesman, Mike Morgan, also said Wednesday that “nothing’s changed whatsoever” in B.C.’s position since the stormy Council of the Federation meeting in Halifax that was derailed by Gateway and that Clark was not making a formal request for a meeting
Clark’s letter does note that “while others may have char- acterized this conversation as somehow sharing Alberta’s royalty payments, we have been careful to avoid discussing the source of any benefitsharing, or indeed the very nature of any increased benefits to British Columbia.”
But Morgan pointed out that has been B. C. s position all along.
“It was sort of misconstrued that that (royalties) was the focus of attention and it wasn’t,” he said.
Clark is coming to Calgary for a private political fundraiser Monday and a speaking engagement at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy the day after, Morgan said.
She will have no formal meetings with any energy companies, including Enbridge.
The two premiers have actually met since the Halifax dust-up.
Redford and Clark both attended the World Economic Forum in China earlier this month, taking part in a natural resources panel and New West Partnership reception.
The Gateway project — now under review by federal regulators — would deliver Alberta bitumen to the B.C. coast for shipping to Asia. It has inspired strong opposition in B.C. because of concerns about its potential impact on pristine waterways and wilderness.
Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith said there’s no problem with Redford meeting with Clark next week, but the Alberta premier must continue to stand her ground.
“I support Ms. Redford in being as strong as she has been — saying there’s just absolutely no way that Alberta is going to share a portion of its royalty revenues. It’s just a non-starter,” Smith said.
“If that’s what Ms. Clark wants to talk about and make the centre of the meeting, I think she’ll be disappointed,” Smith said, noting Clark’s other demands for the pipeline going through her territory are more reasonable.
Clark’s Liberal government is in dire political straits, trailing far behind the NDP in polls ahead of next May’s provincial election. Just this week she was again mired in controversy because of the surprise resignation of chief of staff Ken Boessenkool over an “incident of concern.”
Mount Royal University political science professor Duane Bratt said there was little for the two premiers to talk about.
Clark’s letter was likely prompted because Northern Gateway is the only thing that has given her any “political traction,” he said.
“It’s the only tool she thinks she has,” said Bratt.
“If I’m Alison Redford, I ignore this.”