The Trans Mountain pipeline may be located in the Lower Mainland, but Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen had some choice words for the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today over the decision to purchase the project.
“Liberals do know it’s not legal to smoke weed until August right because this makes no sense at all,” Cullen said to Trudeau in a heated debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday, May 30.
“Only Liberals would dump $4.5 billion on a 65-year-old pipeline and call that an energy strategy. Only Liberals would try to force through a pipeline and tankers through traditional First Nations territory and call that reconciliation,” Cullen said, adding, “Watch he’s about to say the environment and economy go together.”
#QP 8/ @nathancullen PM will say that enviro & economy must go together. You know what else must go together? Making promise to Cdns & then actually keeping it.@CanadianPM NDP celebrated Rachel Notley's approach…plan included getting oil resources to new markets pic.twitter.com/5uRwQJSvHp
— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) May 30, 2018
Cheers of support for Cullen, a member of the NDP, erupted from the House. In response, Trudeau reminded the House that the NDP had “celebrated” Alberta Premier Rachel Notley’s plan to both protect the environment and grow the economy.
“Part of that plan included three elements, one, an absolute cap on oil sands emissions, two, a price on carbon that would apply to the Alberta economy, and three, getting our oil resources to new markets,” Trudeau said, emphasizing that Notley is also NDP.
Cullen questioned the uncertainty of the project. If it was such a great risk for a commercial entity to take on, why would it be fair for the Canadian public to pick up the risk, he asked Trudeau. The Prime Minister responded with a quote from Notley that the government met the deadline set by Kinder Morgan and “this project has more certainly than ever.”
“We have demonstrated that despite the actions of one province trying to block this pipeline, the project is in the national interest and the jobs that will be assured and defended in this project are in an integral part of our plan to fight climate change and grow the economy for future generations,” Trudeau said.
#QP 9/ @nathancullen If it's too risky for an oil pipeline co. to build an oil pipeline, why is it OK for Cdn public to assume all that risk…@CanadianPM …Despite one province trying to block pipeline, project is integral part of plan to fight climate change & grow economy pic.twitter.com/B8LfsMPLqX
— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) May 30, 2018
Opponents to the Kinder Morgan project cite a 700 per cent increase in oil tanker traffic along the B.C. coast as one of the major red flags.
Cullen has been a fierce advocate for the oil tanker ban on the North Coast, tabling a private member’s bill for a tanker ban in 2014. While he was pleased to see Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, pass through the House of Commons in early May, he said it took too long, and now they have to wait for the Senate to pass the bill.
READ MORE: Trans Mountain pipeline – The economics of oil
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