DRASTIC BUT NECESSARY
By giving itself the power to restrict the export of oil and gas, the Alberta government has already won a small victory of sorts in reminding British Columbia that it remains part of Confederation.
Witness the sudden appreciation of the Constitution and the rule of law by B.C. AttorneyGeneral David Eby: “If there is anything in this legislation that even suggests the possibility of discrimination against British Columbians we will take every step necessary to protect the interests of British Columbians because it will be completely illegal,” Eby said after Alberta introduced the bill this week.
Eby and the rest of the B.C. cabinet appear to lack the self-awareness to acknowledge that their illegitimate tactics forced Alberta’s hand and have brought both provinces to the brink of a trade war.
B.C. Premier John Horgan’s vow to “use every tool in the tool box” to stop a lawfully approved project, despite having no constitutional right to do so, and his government’s stalling have put the pipeline twinning in serious jeopardy. Kinder Morgan has announced it is suspending the expansion and will cancel it altogether if it doesn’t receive assurances by May 31 that no more roadblocks will be thrown in its way.
Eby’s response also shows a lack of appreciation for the irony of crying discrimination when his government obstructs a pipeline crucial to Alberta and then offers tax breaks to a B.C. liquefied natural gas project that includes building a pipeline and a new tanker terminal.
With the failure so far of both the federal cabinet and the National Energy Board to get the pipeline twinned, the Alberta government has been forced to open its own tool box. It includes a plan to patch investor confidence in the pipeline by investing public dollars. Buying a stake in a private energy project will be controversial but not unprecedented. Previous Alberta governments have helped bankroll enterprises such as Syncrude and Suncor.
If Trans Mountain’s fate continues to look bleak, that’s when Premier Rachel Notley vows to bring out the hammer: Bill 12, the Preserving Canada’s Economic Prosperity Act.
Without the added pipeline capacity of Trans Mountain, the tool allows Alberta to send refined fuel to B.C. by rail. That “may inadvertently impact the price that people pay for it on the other end of the train track,” Notley said. (With this passive-aggressive tone, Notley too has learned something from her B.C. counterpart.)
While inflicting economic pain on B.C. would be justified retribution for Alberta, this would be a trade war with no winners. Here’s hoping Notley’s ultimatum, or last-minute federal action, can bring B.C. to its senses.