Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says while she doesn’t believe British Columbia’s legal challenge to the Trans Mountain pipeline has merit, her government will be watching it closely.
Notley says she’s not sure the B.C. courts will even entertain making a ruling on the clearly established constitutional rule that the federal government has the final say on what goes into trans-boundary pipelines.
READ MORE: Canadians split 50-50 on B.C.-Alberta pipeline spat, but more say project delays are wrong
But she says if B.C. can’t find traction on that issue, it may try a different legal tack, and she says Alberta will be ready to respond.
Notley isn’t specifying the options being looked at, but on Thursday suggested there will be further retaliatory action if Alberta believes B.C. is trying to stall the Trans Mountain expansion.
READ MORE: Alberta suspends ban on B.C. wine after Horgan backs down on restricting bitumen
Alberta’s fight with B.C. began almost a month ago, when B.C. Premier John Horgan announced the province planned to suspend taking additional oil from Alberta until it was sure B.C.’s coastline and waterways were safe from catastrophic oil spills.
Notley and the federal government labelled the move unconstitutional, and Notley banned B.C. wine from Alberta until Horgan agreed Thursday to reverse his decision and let the courts decide.