Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his government's approval of Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd.'s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion during a raucous town hall on Vancouver Island on Friday while B.C. Premier John Horgan was steadfast in his opposition to the project.
Before a crowd of 1,700 people in the community of Nanaimo, B.C., Mr. Trudeau said most Canadians understand the need to balance the environment with economic development. He struggled to be heard over jeering as he fielded a series of questions from the audience, finally directing police to remove hecklers.
"Come on! Come on! Really. Will you please respect the people in this room?" the Prime Minister asked one woman. When she shook her head, he said: "Then please leave. Goodbye. … Yes, we are asking the police to remove you."
Mr. Trudeau's town hall, the latest in a series of such gatherings across Canada, comes amid escalating tensions between Alberta and British Columbia over B.C.'s opposition to the pipeline project, notably B.C.'s proposal this week to halt any increase to diluted bitumen transport while a scientific panel studies whether the heavy oil can be effectively cleaned up after spills into water bodies.
Questions during the 90-minute town hall, held in a university gymnasium, also touched on the opioid crisis, the federal government's summer jobs program, free trade and fish farms. But the anti-pipeline sentiment dominated much of the question-and-answer session.
"It is in the national interest to move forward with the Kinder Morgan pipeline and we will be moving forward with the Kinder Morgan pipeline," Mr. Trudeau said. "We will also protect the B.C. coast," he said, his voice almost drowned out by jeering.
Mr. Trudeau was pressed by members of the audience about Canada's ability to clean up an oil spill. "Kinder Morgan arrives in a well-serviced, busy port that actually has a capacity to deal with incidents and challenges," he said.
And, he added, agreeing to the pipeline was necessary to get Alberta onside with the pan-Canadian climate action plan. "We know we have to reduce our carbon emissions," he said. "We got that pan-Canadian plan on climate change because we were willing to move forward and demonstrate that at the same time we can continue with developing our resources in safe a secure ways."
Earlier this week, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley suspended electricity-purchase talks with B.C. over its measures to effectively block increased transport of diluted bitumen, saying failing to secure an electricity deal could cost her western neighbour almost half-a-billion dollars a year.
She said the ending of electricity talks with B.C. is only her government's first salvo against what she said was an illegal effort to stem any increases in Alberta heavy oil shipped through B.C. lands and ports to global markets. On Friday, Mr. Horgan accused Alberta of overreacting. "I would suggest a press release saying we're having a consultation should not be the foundation of a trade war between good friends."
The Premier said he had spoken to Mr. Trudeau on Friday during the Prime Minister's visit to British Columbia, and they agreed to disagree on Trans Mountain. "He has his point of view, which I am sure he articulated today," Mr. Horgan told a news conference in Vancouver, adding he and Mr. Trudeau did speak about issues that they agreed on.
Mr. Horgan said he was not being "provocative" or threatening anything in his Trans Mountain policy, but rather following through on a platform opposing the pipeline expansion that the NDP advanced in the provincial election campaign last spring. The NDP formed a minority government with support from the Green Party.
"I don't believe it's about taking on anybody. It's about protecting what is our common heritage as Canadians and British Columbia is a component part of our great federation," he said, adding B.C. signed on as an "equal partner" in Canada and not to be subservient.
"I don't doubt for a minute Premier Notley's conviction and passion for Alberta, nor do I dismiss the responsibilities of the Prime Minister, but I am not going to put aside my responsibilities to stand up to defend British Columbia," he said.
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