Alberta has refused to endorse the official statement stemming from the western premiers’ meeting in Yellowknife because it didn’t include support for the Trans Mountain pipeline.
The final communique deals with issues such as pharmacare and legalization of marijuana.
Alberta deputy premier Sarah Hoffman said without the wealth that would flow from the expansion of the pipeline, all discussions on such issues are moot.
“All of this costs money and we have one way to ensure we have that money and those resources, and that is for us to move forward with this project in the national interest. That’s what I came here to do,” said Hoffman, who was attending the meeting Wednesday in place of Premier Rachel Notley
“Unfortunately we didn’t get consensus on Trans Mountain today.”
Hoffman attended the meeting instead of Premier Rachel Notley.
“It was all great for everyone to get together and talk about worthwhile ways to spend the money, but… what we needed to do was make sure that somebody was making the money,” Notley told Global News Wednesday afternoon in Edmonton.
“The difficulty about having that conversation as though everything was business as usual — with one premier who was there who is very definitively still engaged in a process of trying to suck roughly $15 billion a year out of the Canadian economy — is that it just didn’t make sense, especially given the deadline coming to us right now.
“It just seemed to us to be incredibly tone-deaf to the really important issues that are facing working families in Western Canada and across the country.”
Watch below: Is Trans Mountain’s May 31 deadline reasonable? Alberta premier responds
Alberta sees the federally approved pipeline, which would triple the amount of oil flowing from Alberta’s oilsands to the British Columbia coast, as key to unlocking lucrative overseas markets.
B.C. Premier John Horgan’s minority government is fighting the expansion in court. The province is worried about the threat of a major spill and the capacity to clean it up.
He said his position remains the same after the meeting.
“Certainly Alberta made their case as they always do in a strong and passionate way, and I laid out my concerns about risk and the court cases that we are currently enjoined in,” he said. “Beyond that, we did make great progress on a range of other issues important to British Columbians and western Canadians.”
“We need to continue to make the case to the people of B.C. and we need to continue to make the case, of course, to the government of B.C. as well,” Notley said.
“But ultimately, the federal government is the one that has the ultimate authority to act on this.”
Kinder Morgan’s May 31 deadline is just eight days away.
Notley said she’s “pretty confident” there will be good news on June 1.
“They’re (federal government) certainly working very hard and we’re in very close contact on that… we’ve been working closely with them… The proof will be in the pudding,” the premier said.
Has Ottawa done enough? “The jury is out on that,” Notley said.
“If not, then Alberta will do its part.”
The pipeline has driven a deep wedge between Alberta and B.C. and their respective NDP governments.
The Alberta government has passed legislation that allows it to reduce oil flowing to B.C., which could drive up gas prices and other fuel-related costs.
Notley wouldn’t give any timeline for enacting Bill 12.
The legislation is aimed at giving Alberta the power to restrict the shipments of energy products to B.C. in retaliation for B.C. restricting Alberta’s ability to send bitumen to the West Coast.
“We’re going to be pretty strategic in terms of when and where it comes into effect,” she said. “We’re working furiously on making sure that all the work that needs to be done to be able to put it into effect very quickly is being done right now.
“We’re pretty sure that we’ll be able to move on it as quickly as we need to.”
Watch below: When will Bill 12 come into effect? Alberta premier weighs in
On Tuesday, Notley said she was skipping the premiers’ meeting because her time was better spent in Edmonton making sure the project goes ahead.
Watch below: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said Tuesday her time is better spent in Edmonton, working on moving forward on Trans Mountain, than at the premiers’ meeting “chastising B.C. Premier John Horgan.”
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‘It’s not business as usual’: Rachel Notley explains decision to skip western premiers’ meeting -
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Alberta Premier responds to B.C. legal action against Bill 12 -
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Alberta Premier says she will not let B.C. play ‘legal rope a dope’ with pipeline -
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Alberta Premier says B.C. could go to other sources for oil and gas -
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‘I think they’re fooling themselves’: Rachel Notley on B.C.
Pipeline owner Kinder Morgan has ceased all non-essential spending on the project until it receives assurances it can proceed without delays. The company has set May 31 as a deadline for getting those guarantees.
Watch below: Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh weighs in on the trade dispute between Alberta and B.C.
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister didn’t express his direct support for the pipeline, but said free trade between the provinces is important.
“We’ve got to get some of these 150-year-old issues dealt with and sooner rather than later,” he said. “We are taking money off the kitchen tables of Canadians every single day because we are not working effectively together as premiers.
Watch below: Pipeline politics are front and centre in several parts of the country Wednesday. In Ottawa, supporters are calling on the federal government for action. Julia Wong explains.
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