BC First Nations reverse Northern Gateway opposition due to Trump
Call it case of buyer’s remorse.
A decade after lobbying successfully to kill the Northern Gateway oil pipeline from Alberta to Kitimat, the president of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs now regrets that it was never built.
According to the Canadian Press, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said First Nations have “no choice” but to reconsider opposition to the 1,200 kilometre long pipeline in the face of threats from newly-sworn US president Donald Trump to impose tariffs on Canadian energy exports.
If built, North Gateway would have shipped 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil sands crude from Alberta to Asia-Pacific markets via Kitimat on BC’s northern coast.
But the Liberal government under soon-to-be ‘former’ Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejected the plan when he bought Trans Mountain from US pipeline giant Kinder Morgan in 2016.
When completed, the $7.5 billion pipeline and terminal would have created 104 permanent operating positions and 113 positions with the associated marine services.
First Nations groups, municipalities, including the Union of BC Municipalities, environmentalists and oil sands opponents, among others, denounced the project because of the perceived environmental, economic, social and cultural risks associated with it.
Now, Phillip says he’s concerned that if Canada doesn’t “build that kind of infrastructure, Trump will… (without) any consideration for the environment or the rule of law.”
Phillip is attending a gathering with BC’s provincial cabinet and First Nations leaders in Vancouver, where Trump’s tariff threats are expected to be the key topic of discussion on Tuesday.
His endorsement is significant because he is also listed as a member of the federal Green Party executive on its web site.
Phillip reportedly said that while he “really fought against” Northern Gateway, that was a “different time” and Canada now has “no choice” but to reconsider its opposition.
It comes after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith suggested that construction of new pipelines to both the east and west coasts needs to “immediately start” to diversify Canada’s exports away from the US.
Rather than take the heat for being the lone holdout against signing a joint ‘Team Canada’ communique to retaliate against the US in any potential trade war, Smith has blamed Liberal government energy policies — specifically the rejection of the Northern Gateway and Energy East pipelines — for putting Canada in a vulnerable position vis-a-vis Trump’s tariffs.
Phillip, along with the UBCIC is arguing that First Nations need to be at the table for any successful engagement to counter Trump’s threats.
Source: Western Standard
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