Dear Alberta - Fûck you and keep sending money..
It has to be clear by now. Care Bear diplomacy isn’t working for Alberta.
The province takes one economic blow after another from Canadians, despite NDP Premier Rachel Notley’s cheery efforts to make friends across the country.
Tuesday’s flat rejection of the Energy East pipeline by 82 Montreal-area municipalities means Alberta is now under virtual economic blockade.
Every cross-border project that matters to the energy industry is stymied by objections from provinces, municipalities and interest groups.
And it’s a funny thing — the objectors never seem to mention Alberta’s noble climate change policy, the one that was supposed to soften opposition to pipelines.
Montreal’s rejection was announced even though the National Energy Board’s long review process for the $15.7-billion Energy East project has hardly begun.
The board doesn’t have a full application from TransCanada Ltd. Only a few preliminary hearings have been held. A final report is likely years away.
The Montreal-area politicians can’t even know what they’re objecting to. They just know they object to whatever pipeline comes — except, of course, the equalization money pipeline.
In Burnaby, B.C., the NEB was hearing Thursday from intervenors in Kinder Morgan’s application to expand the Trans Mountain pipeline. I’m told that by afternoon, not a single objector had mentioned the Alberta NDP’s climate-change efforts.
Let us sincerely hope Notley’s climate change plan helps the climate — because it sure isn’t helping Alberta.
This national shunning of her genuine goodwill is dangerous for the New Democrats.
The very core of their economic policy is the link she promised between advanced climate change policy and pipeline progress.
If Albertans end up paying the $3-billion carbon tax even while low oil prices are strangling the economy, and there’s still no give from other national players, this government is doomed.
Perhaps that’s why the Montreal provocation finally produced just a trace of annoyance.
Economic Development Minister Deron Bilous said Montreal Mayor Denis Codere, who fronted for the gang of 82, is being “ungenerous” and “short-sighted.”
“I feel that his comments are really not taking into account the initiative Alberta is undertaking in order to get our products to market . . . there needs to be a recognition of the leadership Alberta is showing.”
That’s pretty mild in the circumstances; but those are the first critical words — the very first — to be uttered by a member of the Notley government over these issues.
In British Columbia, Premier Christy Clark promotes tanker shipments of liquid natural gas, and expects Alberta gas to fuel the plants, while her government opposes every oil pipeline project from over the mountains.
There’s never any pushback from Notley — just, “OK, we’ll work it out somehow.”
Wildrose Leader Brian Jean, by sharp contrast, was extremely combative and probably a lot closer to the developing public mood.
“You can’t dump raw sewage, accept foreign tankers, benefit from equalization and then reject our pipelines,” Jean said on Twitter.
Last November, Montreal poured billions of litres of raw sewage into the St. Lawrence, alarming American neighbours and downstream communities.
Jean also said: “Montreal buys millions of barrels of foreign oil from dictatorships, but it is rejecting oil from their friends in Confederation — it’s ridiculous.”
This week has brought a series of shocks for Alberta — market turmoil, more layoffs and capital spending-cuts in the energy industry; two negative downgrades from rating agencies, along with dire warnings about the NDP topping its debt limit by next year.
Notley’s strategy is to offer hope for the future; a bright era of national co-operation and prosperity, all kick-started by the province’s efforts to join the environmental mainstream.
But all she gets is the finger from a string of petty chieftains who are subverting a national power Ottawa refuses to exercise. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau smiles sunnily, suggests we might get a few bucks, but doesn’t act.
On Friday, Notley meets another noted waffler, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, in Toronto. Wynne imposes seven conditions for allowing Energy East to cross Ontario’s hallowed soil — two more than B.C.
Remember the Rachel Notley who shredded ex-premier Jim Prentice in the election debate last May?
Alberta needs that one back.
source: Braid: NDP smiles at the rest of Canada, gets the finger back | Calgary Herald
It has to be clear by now. Care Bear diplomacy isn’t working for Alberta.
The province takes one economic blow after another from Canadians, despite NDP Premier Rachel Notley’s cheery efforts to make friends across the country.
Tuesday’s flat rejection of the Energy East pipeline by 82 Montreal-area municipalities means Alberta is now under virtual economic blockade.
Every cross-border project that matters to the energy industry is stymied by objections from provinces, municipalities and interest groups.
And it’s a funny thing — the objectors never seem to mention Alberta’s noble climate change policy, the one that was supposed to soften opposition to pipelines.
Montreal’s rejection was announced even though the National Energy Board’s long review process for the $15.7-billion Energy East project has hardly begun.
The board doesn’t have a full application from TransCanada Ltd. Only a few preliminary hearings have been held. A final report is likely years away.
The Montreal-area politicians can’t even know what they’re objecting to. They just know they object to whatever pipeline comes — except, of course, the equalization money pipeline.
In Burnaby, B.C., the NEB was hearing Thursday from intervenors in Kinder Morgan’s application to expand the Trans Mountain pipeline. I’m told that by afternoon, not a single objector had mentioned the Alberta NDP’s climate-change efforts.
Let us sincerely hope Notley’s climate change plan helps the climate — because it sure isn’t helping Alberta.
This national shunning of her genuine goodwill is dangerous for the New Democrats.
The very core of their economic policy is the link she promised between advanced climate change policy and pipeline progress.
If Albertans end up paying the $3-billion carbon tax even while low oil prices are strangling the economy, and there’s still no give from other national players, this government is doomed.
Perhaps that’s why the Montreal provocation finally produced just a trace of annoyance.
Economic Development Minister Deron Bilous said Montreal Mayor Denis Codere, who fronted for the gang of 82, is being “ungenerous” and “short-sighted.”
“I feel that his comments are really not taking into account the initiative Alberta is undertaking in order to get our products to market . . . there needs to be a recognition of the leadership Alberta is showing.”
That’s pretty mild in the circumstances; but those are the first critical words — the very first — to be uttered by a member of the Notley government over these issues.
In British Columbia, Premier Christy Clark promotes tanker shipments of liquid natural gas, and expects Alberta gas to fuel the plants, while her government opposes every oil pipeline project from over the mountains.
There’s never any pushback from Notley — just, “OK, we’ll work it out somehow.”
Wildrose Leader Brian Jean, by sharp contrast, was extremely combative and probably a lot closer to the developing public mood.
“You can’t dump raw sewage, accept foreign tankers, benefit from equalization and then reject our pipelines,” Jean said on Twitter.
Last November, Montreal poured billions of litres of raw sewage into the St. Lawrence, alarming American neighbours and downstream communities.
Jean also said: “Montreal buys millions of barrels of foreign oil from dictatorships, but it is rejecting oil from their friends in Confederation — it’s ridiculous.”
This week has brought a series of shocks for Alberta — market turmoil, more layoffs and capital spending-cuts in the energy industry; two negative downgrades from rating agencies, along with dire warnings about the NDP topping its debt limit by next year.
Notley’s strategy is to offer hope for the future; a bright era of national co-operation and prosperity, all kick-started by the province’s efforts to join the environmental mainstream.
But all she gets is the finger from a string of petty chieftains who are subverting a national power Ottawa refuses to exercise. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau smiles sunnily, suggests we might get a few bucks, but doesn’t act.
On Friday, Notley meets another noted waffler, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, in Toronto. Wynne imposes seven conditions for allowing Energy East to cross Ontario’s hallowed soil — two more than B.C.
Remember the Rachel Notley who shredded ex-premier Jim Prentice in the election debate last May?
Alberta needs that one back.
source: Braid: NDP smiles at the rest of Canada, gets the finger back | Calgary Herald
