Nenshi defends Keystone on MSNBC

Mayor Naheed Nenshi chatted with the hosts of Morning Joe about the merits of the Keystone XL pipeline, raising Alberta’s minimum wage and Calgary’s connection to the presidential race while on a trade visit to New York City on Monday.

It didn’t take long for MSNBC host Joe Scarborough to remind the mayor of Calgary’s connection to one White House hopeful: “Mr. Mayor, you have a presidential candidate from Calgary,” Scarborough said.

“We do. I am the mayor of the birthplace of Ted Cruz. And we’re real proud of it,” joked Nenshi.

But Scarborough pointed out that Nenshi and Cruz agree on at least one issue: the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which Nenshi said has received unfair treatment from some U. S. critics.

“The oil is coming to the Gulf Coast, just coming by rail, and of course pipelines are much safer. ( Rail) is much more dangerous,” Nenshi said.

“Sometimes political issues just gain a life of their own way beyond what they actually are. I think that’s the challenge we’ve got with Keystone — it’s gained so much symbolic weight on either side that we’re forgetting what it actually is: which is one pipeline of many, many pipelines that transport Canadian energy.”

Nenshi also discussed his support of Premier Rachel Notley’s pledge to raise the minimum wage to $ 15 by 2018.

“The best way to get people out of poverty is let them have a decent living, rather than a whole bunch of government programs,” Nenshi said.

Nenshi is in New York this week on a trade mission to promote Calgary to U. S. energy investors.

The oil is coming to the Gulf Coast, just coming by rail, and of course pipelines are much safer.