Wilkinson blames NDP for ‘unnecessary’ squabble with Alberta
B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson has brought the Alberta-B.C. trade dispute to wine country, where a byelection is underway for former premier Christy Clark’s seat.
“What we’ve seen in the last week is essentially a fundamental attack on the B.C. wine industry,” Wilkinson told supporters at Sandhill Wines on Friday. “We’ve seen that the wine industry is now under siege; the wine workers are facing a challenge that is totally unnecessary, that has been created by a squabble between two NDP governments.”
The trade dispute heated up on Tuesday, when Alberta Premier Rachel Notley announced that the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission would immediately stop importing B.C. wine to Alberta. Last week, Notley suspended talks about buying electricity from B.C. and has threatened to take the province to court.
Notley was responding to the B.C. government’s decision to propose new regulations that would limit oilsands bitumen shipments through the province until a scientific panel can look at the possible consequences of a catastrophic bitumen spill.
It was seen as a direct attack on the $7.4-billion Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project, which the federal government approved in 2016.
“This is a completely unnecessary schoolyard squabble between the Alberta government and the B.C. government and the fight was picked by (Premier) John Horgan and the NDP,” Wilkinson said. “What we need, of course, is for sober second thought about this.”
Horgan has refused to retaliate and said he won’t be distracted by Notley’s actions. He said he supports the wine industry.
Wilkinson suggested that Horgan “swallow his pride” and go to Edmonton to negotiate with Notley, and that the “more mature minds” in the federal government step in.
“We cannot let this stand. We cannot stand idly by and just watch the NDP cause this industry to run into a tailspin,” he said.
Wilkinson’s visit to Kelowna comes in the midst of a byelection for the Kelowna West riding, which is considered a safe Liberal seat. Advance voting began on Tuesday and continues until Sunday. General voting will take place on Feb. 14.
The B.C. Liberal candidate is Ben Stewart, who represented the riding of Westside-Kelowna from 2009 until 2013, when he resigned his seat after then-premier Christy Clark lost her riding of VancouverPoint Grey and needed to run in a byelection.
Stewart is no stranger to the wine business — he founded Quails’ Gate Estate Winery.
Shelley Cook, who ran unsuccessfully against Christy Clark in the last election, was acclaimed in December as the NDP candidate for Kelowna West.
B.C. Green party Leader Andrew Weaver will also visit Kelowna West to campaign with candidate Robert Stupka and co-host a community forum on the Alberta wine ban, economic growth in the Okanagan and the impact of pipelines on sustainable enterprise.
In a statement, Weaver seemed to place the blame for the trade dispute squarely on Alberta.
“I am very concerned Ms. Notley has responded to concern about a lack of scientific analysis on the effect of dilbit on our coastal water by taking it out on small, familybased businesses in the wine industry,” Weaver said.