Why doesn't Christy Clark just come out and say it: There are no conditions under which the risks associated with the Northern Gateway pipeline would be acceptable to British Columbians.
True, such a decree wouldn't sit well with the powers that be in Ottawa, who would be within their power - at the grave risk of their own political fortunes in this province, of course - to go over the heads of their provincial counterparts. But were Clark to come out in opposition to the Enbridge pipeline proposal, it might well give her flagging-at-the-polls party a much-needed boost in the polls, and nullify one of the issues on which the opposition NDP is likely to win support in the May 2013 B.C. election.
With the NDP firmly opposed and the up-and-coming B.C. Conservatives in favour of the controversial, $5.5 billion project, Clark and her handlers are no doubt attempting to stake out the middle ground on the supposition that her five "minimum conditions" will be seen as a moderate, principled approach. The danger, though, is that after such a long time sitting on the fence, her Liberals will be seen as ditherers - unable or unwilling to stand up to Harper and Alberta on a project that carries far too little benefit to B.C. to outweigh the very real risk of environmental damage.
The technical report that accompanied this week's "minimum conditions" announcement by Environment Minister Terry Lake and Aboriginal Relations Minister Mary Polak, after all, amounted to a persuasive argument against the pipeline. Why not just come out and say it?
If the B.C. Liberals want to stake out the "middle ground" on the pipeline issue, they could say they oppose Northern Gateway but could be persuaded to support Kinder Morgan's proposed TransMountain pipeline expansion, if it passes an environmental review and wins First Nations support. While the latter project comes with its own set of risks, it's an established route that, if it went ahead, would open up neither pristine countryside nor coastline to potential spills. Such a position might just be seen as principled and worthy of voters' support next May.
- David Burke
