Chiefs revolt against Alberta pipeline, Carney forced to the table
(Image courtesy of CBC)
On Tuesday, Coastal First Nations chiefs voted unanimously during their biannual meeting in Ottawa to petition the government to uphold the federal Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, which states tankers cannot carry more than 12,500 metric tonnes of crude oil in areas along the northern coast of British Columbia from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the Alaska border.
Chief Donald Edgars of Old Massett Village in Haida Gwaii said that his national counterparts could not let this project happen as currently designed, and called on all Chiefs to “reject this dangerous precedent.” Prime Minister Carney pledges to meet with the Coastal First Nations at the earliest convenience.
Carney wants to bring Alberta in
Alberta, under Premier Danielle Smith, has made it clear that it feels left out of the federal government’s decisions, particularly under the Liberal mandates of the last 10 years. Carney, an Alberta native, has sought to bring the province more into Canada, especially with its growing economic power.
GDP growth for Alberta is the second highest, behind BC, since 2000. Figures retrieved from Statistics Canada.
Political straddling in effect
That being said, fractures are showing in Parliament. Trudeau-era Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault resigned from cabinet, saying that the deal was the “last straw,” and Elizabeth May, the Green Party leader who voted for Carney’s budget in mid-November, said that it was a “mistake” she won’t repeat.
That being said, British Columbians seem to be nominally aligned with Carney. According to Angus Reid, 53 percent of BC residents back Carney’s pipeline proposal, with 47 percent okay with granting an exemption to the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act. This reflects a mass change in public opinion compared to a decade ago, when Trans Mountain pipeline expansion opposition was clocked at 60 percent in 2016.
Carney, clearly still feeling fresh from his election win earlier this year, still feels he holds the best cards in parliament, and with polls still showing the Liberals ahead, why should he think otherwise?
