Pipelines and Buy America seemed to be two main points of the 2019 premiers meeting in Saskatoon.
While Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is trying to Quebec Premier Francois Legault on moving oil via pipeline through the eastern province as part of a future energy corridor, Quebec’s leader is standing his ground by saying there’s no social acceptability in his province for pipelines.
When asked by reporters Thursday if his province’s pipeline situation was the same as Quebec’s, B.C. Premier John Horgan said they’re quite different scenarios.
“They’re two completely different situations. With respect to energy east, there was a proposal and that proposal was withdrawn. with respect to Trans Mountain, it is been a project that been on the books for a long, long, long time. It’s a proposal to twin an existing pipeline.”
Last month, the federal government approved the expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline following a second round of consultations with First Nations, however 6 First Nations have recently filed another legal challenge against the pipeline.
The First Nations involved in the challenge say Canada’s ownership of the corporation behind the project created a bias that prevented full consultations as ordered by the Federal Court of Appeal.
As for Quebec, they have shown interest in with other options with establishing a national energy corridor such as natural gas or hydro.
Majority of Canada’s provincial and territorial leaders called on the federal government to fight harder against the Trump administration’s Buy America policies on the third and final day of the annual meeting of Canada’s premiers.
The leaders want to see Prime Minister Justin Trudeau push for a Canadian exemption from rules that require 65 per cent local content on public transportation projects, and that assembly be done in the United States.
Among those leaders who were vocal on the Buy America policies was Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
“Buy America will kill our manufacturing base here in the country as the president of Bombardier told me the other day, that it would be easy for Bombardier to move to the U.S. and build trains and sell them to Canada but we can build trains in Canada ans sell them to the U.S. That’s unacceptable.” said Premier Doug Ford.
Premier Ford blames the Buy America policies for Bombardier laying-off half of their staff at their Thunder Bay rail-car plant and that Justin Trudeau has failed Canada when it comes to standing up for the Buy American policies.
All of Canada’s provincial and territorial leaders will meet in Quebec City for the annual meeting of the premiers in 2020.
(CJWW)
