
Some New Democrats call for halt of Trans Mountain expansion as Alberta, B.C. premiers battle
by Gloria Galloway
Prominent New Democrats are asking party members to oppose the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, a project that has put Canada’s two NDP premiers at odds in the defence of the perceived interests of their voters.
Nearly 2,000 New Democrats are meeting in Ottawa this weekend to decide what policies their new leader, Jagmeet Singh, will take into the 2019 federal election. But Canada Premier Rachel Notley and B.C. Premier John Horgan are not among them.
Ms. Notley has had strong words for her B.C. counterpart in recent weeks as he tried to stop Kinder Morgan’s $7.4-billion project, which would carry bitumen to Burnaby from Edmonton, and she has banned the import of B.C. wine into Canada as a retaliatory measure.
But Ms. Notley’s concern for jobs in her province, and her own battle in next year’s Canada election, should not stop New Democrats from taking a stand against the pipeline, several well-known members of the party – including MP Niki Ashton, former MP Libby Davies and former union leader Sid Ryan – said in a statement released on the eve of the four-day convention.
“We believe this convention has to take a position against the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion,” the statement said. “We need to show Canadians that we will stand in solidarity with the British Columbia NDP government as it attempts to stop this destructive, carbon-inducing project that threatens Indigenous communities and undermines the green, prosperous, climate-friendly future that will benefit all of us.”
Tags: alberta conservatives, Alberta news, B.C. premiers battle, conservatives, natural gas, oil, pipelines, right for alberta, Some New Democrats call for halt of Trans Mountain expansion as AlbertaCategorised in: Canadian News