When the canadian West became a field of battle

Photo courtesy Kinder Morgan

Boris Proulx

Sunday, 25 February, 2018 01:00

UPDATE
Sunday, 25 February, 2018 01:00

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OTTAWA, the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia have concluded a truce on Thursday after increased hostilities in recent weeks in one of the most important trade disputes in canadian history between the two provinces.

The conflict was put on hold between these two provinces, which opposed the expansion project, a pipeline company Kinder Morgan, which has already received all the approvals required by Ottawa.

The new government of British Columbia, as elected by promising to block the project, has announced that he will ask the court if he can establish environmental standards, such as a limit to the amount of oil that can pass through its territory.

Not in my backyard

The Court shall hear the appeal of the city of Burnaby, near Vancouver, which multiplies the legal proceedings so that the oil does not flow in them.

Photo courtesy Kinder Morgan

In return, the province of Alberta has temporarily enabled the new orders of wine produced next door to them, after having halted for two weeks to put the pressure to advance this project.

“I don’t know of any precedent in the history of a trade dispute between the two provinces has reached such proportions “, said the former minister Benoît Pelletier. Currently, the rest of the country observes the way in which the crisis remains and if the Trudeau government will act.

A proposed expansion of Kinder Morgan

The company Kinder Morgan already has a pipeline that crosses the canadian Rockies, called Trans Mountain. The pipeline transports currently 300,000 barrels of oil from the albertan oil sands every day, for the vessels which export the product to abroad. The expansion project, Kinder Morgan seeks to triple capacity of the pipeline, to 890 000 barrels per day. In addition to the risk of leaks, the pipeline also raises concerns for the increased traffic of oil tankers.

ROUTE OF THE MOUNTAINS

Screenshot

BRITISH COLUMBIA

File Photo, Matthew Usherwood

John Horgan
Premier of British Columbia (NDP)

The premier of British Columbia, John Horgan, has any advantage to hinder the realization of the project of Kinder Morgan. In the elections of may 2017, he promised to use “all available tools” to block pipelines. In addition, he leads a fragile coalition government requires the support of three elected representatives of the green Party of the province, fierce opponents to the pipelines.

Photo courtesy

Andrew Weaver
Leader of the green Party of British Columbia

Even though his party has only 3 of the 87 seats in the parliament of British Columbia, the leader of the green Party Andrew Weaver has become essential for the survival of the coalition government led by the NDP.

The two parties of the left have signed an agreement this summer, in which the prime minister undertook to oppose by all means the pipelines of Kinder Morgan.

Photo archive, Amélie St-Yves

David Suzuki
Environmentalist

Environmental groups and aboriginal groups on both sides of the border are opposed to the expansion of the pipeline by Kinder Morgan, including before the courts.

The leading environmentalist David Suzuki, a native of British Columbia, for instance, has launched a campaign to convince the Trudeau government to block the project.

ALBERTA

File Photo, Lyle Aspinall

Rachel Notley
First minister of Alberta (NDP)

Rachel Notley is in need of new pipelines to its political survival. Although it has overthrown the conservatives in 2015, the latest polls indicate that she is in trouble to win the next electoral appointment scheduled for may 2019. A new pipeline is necessary for its economic results, according to the political scientist at the University of Alberta, Frédéric Boily, even if his support for the proposed Kinder Morgan makes it ” the black sheep of the family, a new democrat “.

Photo from the archives, Christopher Nardi

Jason Kenney
Leader of the opposition in Alberta (conservative)

Far ahead in the polls to about 55 % (compared to less than 30 % for the new democrats of Mrs Notley), the all-new conservative Party kingdom is led by the ex-government minister Harper, Jason Kenney. The politician does not hide from being close to the oil industry. He accuses the British Columbia to delay the pipeline project, and hope that Ottawa gets in the way.

Photo courtesy

Christy Clark
Ex-prime minister of British Columbia

Personalities of British Columbia are on the side of Alberta in this conflict. This is for example the case of the ex-premier Christy Clark, who headed the liberal Party in his province until July.

“British Columbia from the inside [outside of the Vancouver area and Vancouver island, editor’s NOTE] supports the majority of the pipeline,” recalls the political scientist Frédéric Boily.

Silence on the fratricidal war neo-democrat

The bickering between the two only provinces led by a new democrat government puts so much uncomfortable the federal NDP that it avoids having to address the topic with its members. A motion against the pipeline has not even been discussed at the last congress of the party, the last weekend, which was not involved any of the two prime ministers.

“It’s like a civil war inside the party. [The leader Jagmeet Singh] is trying to walk the line, not to take a position, ” says Karl Belanger, a former adviser to Jack Layton.

Officially, the NDP wants a new study to assess the project from Kinder Morgan, approved by the national energy Board according to the criteria of the government of Stephen Harper.

Photo Guillaume St-Pierre

Jagmeet Singh
Leader of the NDP

However, the party remains rather discreet about it, not wanting too rush their support in the prairies.

“Their position is the same as Justin Trudeau before the election,” recalls Xavier Deschenes Philion, phd, University of British Columbia.

The two sides

When one poses the question to the chief Jagmeet Singh, it remains elusive as to whether he would rule in favour of the Alberta or British Columbia, he led the Canada. “The problem is for the prime minister [Trudeau] at the federal level “, he reiterates.

The only mp for the federal ndp in Alberta, Linda Duncan, told the Newspaper that she does not want his party to abandon the first minister of Alberta, Rachel Notley.

“We prefer to his opponent Jason Kenney “, she says, fearing that her ally, provincial lose the next election because they have not fulfilled its promise to build this pipeline.

The Trudeau government will not act… for now

The conflict between the two provinces of the West is a test for the leadership of the prime minister of Canada, to which the expansion project of the pipeline that crosses the Rockies should go ahead.

“In a federation, provinces that have opposite interests, it is normal. [But] the government of Canada must exercise a lot of diplomacy in the folder “, according to the constitutionalist Benoît Pelletier.

It is the federal government who will have the last word in the record, given that projects that cross the borders of the provinces fall under its jurisdiction.

Photo AFP

Justin Trudeau
Prime minister

In the opinion of the experts consulted, time is of the essence, since the draft could fall to the water if it is constantly delayed, like what happened to the pipeline Energy Is.

The office of the minister of natural Resources, Jim Carr, said at the Newspaper, wait to see if British Columbia will execute its threat to block the pipeline.

His spokesman, Mackenzie Radan, did not want to come forward on how the government intends to take forward work if this scenario “hypothetical” is carried out.

A long e-mail sent to the Newspaper also states that the expansion of the pipeline from Kinder Morgan is coherent with the commitments of Justin Trudeau on climate change.

Delicate

Theoretically, the government could apply to the courts to try to speed things up, or even use the forces of the order for advancing the work.

“It would have the constitutional right to do so,” recalls Xavier Deschenes Philion, phd candidate in political science at the University of British Columbia, specializing in energy.

However, that intentionally blasphemes the environmental groups and aboriginal people even more, and would put Justin Trudeau in an awkward situation.

“The government of Canada must play it safe, since he will have to live with his decision,” said Benoît Pelletier.