Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says there will be consequences for British Columbia over the province鈥檚 latest attempt to hinder expansion of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain oil pipeline.
Notley held an emergency cabinet meeting Wednesday to discuss what legal and economic levers Alberta can pull in its spat with its neighbour to the west.
鈥淭he government of Alberta will not 鈥� we cannot 鈥� let this unconstitutional attack on jobs and working people stand,鈥� she said before the closed-door meeting.
鈥淚鈥檝e called you all together today at this emergency meeting to discuss and evaluate the range of economic and legal options that are available to us including, for example, interprovincial trade in electricity.鈥�
B.C.鈥檚 environment minister said Tuesday that the province plans to ban increased shipments of diluted bitumen off its coast until it can determine that shippers are prepared and able to properly clean up a spill.
The B.C. government says it will establish an independent scientific advisory panel to study the issue.
Notley said the pipeline expansion has already been approved by the federal government.
鈥淛ust because the B.C. government, in coalition with the Green party, doesn鈥檛 like the decision gives them absolutely no right to ignore the law or 鈥� change the rules at halftime based on a whim,鈥� she said.
鈥淥ur economies, the economies of the two provinces, are closely linked. Billions of dollars of goods cross our borders every year. Hundreds of thousands of jobs depend on good trading relationships.
鈥淏ut I believe 鈥� that we owe it to Albertans to do everything within our power to defend our jobs and our economic security and we will not waiver in this fight.鈥�
READ MORE:
B.C.鈥檚 proposal creates more uncertainty for Kinder Morgan鈥檚 already-delayed Trans Mountain expansion project that would nearly triple the capacity of its pipeline system to 890,000 barrels a day.
Federal Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr said in a statement late Tuesday that Ottawa stands by its decision to approve the Trans Mountain expansion and its commitment to protect the environment and the B.C. coast.
鈥淭he decision we took on the Trans Mountain expansion remains in the national interest,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd it was a decision based on facts and evidence.
鈥淭his has not changed.鈥�
Saskatchewan鈥檚 incoming premier Scott Moe also expressed support for the project and criticized the move by B.C.
鈥淭he B.C. NDP are playing politics at the risk of thousands of Canadian jobs, future infrastructure projects, as well as investor confidence in our energy industry,鈥� he said in a statement. 鈥淲e will support the government of Alberta in any actions against this political decision.鈥�
Opposition party leaders in Saskatchewan and Alberta also weighed in on the fight.
In Alberta, United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney said he has been telling Notley to fight back since the B.C. government took power in July.
鈥淚鈥檓 delighted that the NDP government finally appears to be taking our advice to fight efforts to stop our resources from flowing to the West Coast,鈥� he said Wednesday.
Kenney suggested Notley needs to make it clear with concrete actions such as boycotting B.C. hydroelectricity or imposing tolls on B.C. natural gas flowing through Alberta to the U.S. He suggested that a final resort could be cutting off oil and gas supplies to B.C., which would raise the price of gasoline for consumers in that province.
Saskatchewan interim NDP leader Nicole Sarauer said the B.C. government is 鈥減laying games鈥� that will hurt Western Canada鈥檚 resource sector and that her party stands with Alberta.
(Colette Derworiz, The Canadian Press)
