Braid: After big national meeting, not much hope for Premier Smith's pipeline dreams
They're called Manitoba and British Columbia.
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The hard reality was obvious during the national premiers' meetings this week with Prime Minister Mark Carney.
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Both provinces are run by NDP premiers who find themselves surrounded by conservative premiers.
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We like to imagine, or hope, that partisanship is being set aside in the drive to get projects done. Its a wonderful dream.
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But after all the meetings and declarations, the omens are not positive for pipelines.
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On Monday, a memorandum of understanding on pipelines and energy development was signed by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, Ontario's Doug Ford and Scott Moe of Saskatchewan.
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The three conservative premiers enthusiastically support pipelines to B.C.'s north coast and James Bay in Northern Ontario.
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Asked if he'd been invited to sign on with the conservative premiers, B.C. Premier David Eby said brusquely: 'No.'
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Further questioned on whether he would have signed if asked, he said 'I haven't read it.'
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Eby did say, reluctantly, that he'll consider such a pipeline if a private proponent comes on the scene.
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Smith didn't challenge Eby. Rather, she emphasized her support for LNG exports and various joint economic projects now being discussed with B.C.
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She seemed to agree that talks won't happen until a private pipeline proponent comes forward.
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Both premiers know that no backer is likely to emerge until Ottawa lifts the north coast tanker ban implemented by ex-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2019.
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Otherwise, how do you ship bitumen – by fishing boat?
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Premier Smith keeps asking Prime Minister Carney to rescind the ban. He becomes very vague.
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Even if the ban were to end, the B.C. NDP is likely to be as obstructive as they were when the late Premier John Horgan used 'every tool in the toolbox' – his words – to block the Trans Mountain expansion.
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Eby now talks about how wickedly expensive the Trans Mountain line was ($34 billion) and how Ottawas was forced to buy it.
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But a huge part of that cost was directly caused by B.C. obstruction at every step of the way.
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The province, various municipalities and activists dusted off every possible regulation, legal challenge and blockade to slow or halt progress.
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