Tuesday, July 24, 2012

British Columbia's Sordid Premier

There's something really sleazy about BC premier Christie Clark.   Faced with growing public opposition to the Northern Gateway and Kinder-Morgan bitumen pipeline trafficking, she sat mute for months as her own and her party's fortunes tanked.

Finally she stood up on her hind legs and announced the pipeline/supertanker business was just too environmentally risky for British Columbia.   Then the other shoe dropped when Crispy said she might look the other way if Alberta and Ottawa cut Victoria in on the action and, of course, pretended to make the whole thing environmentally safe (har, har).

Our unelected, unelectable, outgoing premier gave Alberta premier Alison Redford a perfect opportunity to scream "shakedown."  Redford said there'll be no backdoor profit sharing with B.C.  

Opposition Wildrose leader Danielle Smith made it sound like a hostage taking.

Wildrose Leader Danielle Smith said sharing energy revenue with B.C. would be “problematic for Alberta because we don’t do that.”

“Alberta can’t allow any of its resource revenue to be shared with other jurisdictions because that’s not how it works,” she said. “If B.C. wants to have that discussion, they need to have it with Ottawa.”

And, to keep the fires stoked in British Columbia, Alberta Intergovernmental Relations Minister Cal Dallas compared leaky bitumen pipelines crossing British Columbia and supertankers threatening our coast to Alberta allowing British Columbia forest products to be shipped across the Wild Rose province.  Nice one, you sphincter.

Now it's Harper who has his nuts in a vise.  He's got to cut some deal with B.C. very soon because Crispy and her pack of used car salesmen will be out of work next year and the incoming NDP government has promised to kill the pipelines.   So now you've got cheesy meeting greasy.   Hey, isn't that the recipe for political poutine?

5 comments:

Anyong said...

And all over a meer 17% revenue. What is wrong with that? Well, this country should not be settling for anything less than 80% revenue no matter who the corporate thief is. Norway did it so we can do it. That said, Enbridge can promise all it wants regarding the safty of pipelines. It needs to prove to this country it will impliment the best safty methods. Better still, no pipeline is best given the very touchy environment it will be crossing.

e.a.f. said...

Christie is just trying the old shake down method to try & get some money prior to the next election. She was too dumb to realize all Alberta had to say was no.

Harper can clear himself by just blaming christie.

Harper could just call parilament back & simply pass legislation to force B.C. to accept the pipeline. Of course that will creat all sorts of fun & games.

Harper will have to do something because he is obligated to China & China does have that signed agreement that if their business interests "are harmed" we pay them.

Embridge can not build a safe pipeline through B.C. You just need to look at the recent slides in B.C. No pipeline could withstand that. Tankers will continue to go up & down the coast line but one will sink & then there will be tar on the water everywhere. People in B.C. get it but others don't.

C.c. may say we should have the money because we take all the risks. She is right, we do take all the risks but to avoid the risks we can just make sure we don't take the pipelines.

Anonymous said...

I live in BC and trust me the red chinese pipeline will have to go over allot of dead bodies if it is to succeed...

Ricky said...

The trans mountain pipeline has been carrying oil through BC, to the refinery in Port Moody for years. And much of the oil which is surplus to the capacity of the refinery is shipped via tankers out under the Lions Gate bridge! How many British Columbians are even aware that a tanker a week exports oil past Stanley Park. I suppose Alberta should now add a surcharge to any oil being sent to the refinery in Port Moody to fuel the cars driven by BC environmentalist hypocrites.

The Mound of Sound said...

Actually, Ricky, a good many of us are aware of the Port Moody operation. You plainly aren't. You perceive the problem to be the Lions Gate bridge which gives away your ignorance. It's the treacherous Second Narrows that is the real threat. If you want to opine, try to learn a bit about what you want to discuss. Right now you sound like the typical Alberta bullshitter.