Listen to daily commentary from program director Murray Wood
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look at the week's news and decides who's hot and who's not. This week's list includes...
EDAM, Sask. — Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall says he is disappointed with Quebec’s decision to seek an injunction over the Energy East pipeline.
Wall says Quebec’s decision is going to be politically divisive.
He says the move is about environmental politics at a time when the entire country should be supporting a project that will create jobs, reduce the need to import foreign oil and get crude off the railways.
Wall says it’s the National Energy Board’s job to deal with the proposed pipeline and other provinces should not impose their own regulatory processes.
Quebec says TransCanada Pipelines Ltd. (TSX:TRP) must demonstrate that its plans for the Quebec portion of the project respect the province’s laws.
The pipeline would carry 1.1 million barrels a day of western crude as far east as Saint John, N.B., serving domestic refineries and international customers.
“Why slap an injunction against it except if it is about environmental politics and I think it is going to be divisive,” Wall said Tuesday. “I don’t think they are trying to be, but it is probably going to be divisive unfortunately.
“Let’s have one process. Let’s respect the fact that there is a national process in place and provinces shouldn’t be slapping their own processes on top of that, especially when it is trying to avoid the project happening at all, trying to prevent the project from happening.”
Sask. mayors blast Quebec call for injunction
The mayors of Saskatchewan’s largest cities came out firing against the government of Quebec’s stance on the Energy East pipeline during a Tuesday appearance on Gormley.
The reactions came during discussion of an injunction sought by Quebec against the pipeline project.
Saskatoon mayor Don Atchison called the move a “shameless” case of playing politics in the face of an economic downturn that has left many in Western Canada wondering where their next paycheque is coming from.
“I think the mayor’s in the big cities in Western Canada have to get together and say enough’s enough; that we need to look after the citizens in our communities and our provinces right now,” he said.
Regina mayor Michael Fougere said the proposed pipeline is clearly a matter that falls under federal jurisdiction.
“It is not for a provincial government to say no to a pipeline. It’s a national objective here. It is under the purview of the federal government and this is very unfortunate politics by the government of Quebec,” he said.
Both mayors also pointed to transfer payments made by the West that have benefited Quebec.
