Premier warms to pipeline expansion
Clark says Ottawa ‘very, very close’ to meeting province’s conditions on Trans Mountain
VICTORIA — Premier Christy Clark stopped just short of endorsing the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion Wednesday, gambling that her five conditions to reduce the project’s risk will insulate her from public backlash just five months before a provincial election.
In her first comments since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau approved the $6.8-billion Edmonton-to-Burnaby Trans Mountain expansion, Clark said she believes almost all her conditions have been met, except for some details on the “world-leading” ocean spill response plan and a better sense of how B.C. will benefit financially from Kinder Morgan.
Ottawa is “very, very close” to addressing all of B.C.’s concerns, said Clark, whose conditions include environmental approval, First Nations support, spill response and economic benefits.
“I have said from the very beginning that the five conditions are a path to get to yes. And what I’m saying today is they’ve substantially met or are close to meeting the five conditions, but we aren’t quite there yet.”
The province could be in a position to formally support the pipeline “much sooner” than the May election, she added.
Meanwhile, NDP Leader John Horgan confirmed his party is firmly opposed to Kinder Morgan after briefly leaving the door open in September to being persuaded of its merits.
Kinder Morgan wants to twin its existing pipeline, which would triple the flow of oil from Alberta and increase seven-fold the number of oil tankers off B.C.’s south coast. Environmental groups, First Nations and local politicians have vowed to fight the project because they say it represents an unacceptable environmental risk to B.C.’s coast.
Clark’s tentative support for Kinder Morgan could set the pipeline up as a wedge issue in the May provincial election with the B.C. Liberals in favour, the NDP opposed and the two parties fighting for votes over the issue of which is better at balancing environmental protection and working-class jobs in the resource sector.
The Greens also oppose the project and want to siphon environmental votes away from the NDP. That could split opposition voters to the potential benefit of the Liberals.
“It lines up the parties in B.C. clearly on opposite sides,” said Kathryn Harrison, a professor in the University of B.C.’s political science department. “I think the test will be whether Premier Clark can make a sufficient case to middle-of-the-road voters that she was able to deliver economic benefits and mitigate the environmental risks.”
Horgan mocked Clark’s five conditions Wednesday, saying she failed to stand up to Ottawa on a project most people don’t want.
“She started with five conditions, she claims she’s been consistent on that,” he said. “The conditions haven’t been met, but she’s still OK with that.”
“It (the Trans Mountain pipeline) lines up the parties in B.C. clearly on opposite sides.” — Kathryn Harrison