Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh admires British Columbia’s defence of its coastline against additional diluted bitumen shipments, but remains on the sidelines in the B.C.-Alberta feud.
“Canadians, in general, share their concern with protecting the environment and protecting the coast,” said Singh. “We are proud of the fact that British Columbians have such a big heart for something as big as the planet we live on and we will continue to fight at the federal level,” Singh said in a phone interview.
He was in Campbell River Monday as he continues his cross-country tour.
Singh has been outspoken against federal approval of the Kinder Morgan $7.4-billion Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project and the environmental review process by which it was okayed. “It was wrong and I would not have approved it,” he said.
However, he has been walking a tightrope between the feuding NDP-led provinces over the pipeline.
In late February, the two provinces were on the brink of a trade war until B.C. Premier John Horgan announced B.C. would let the courts decide jurisdictional questions about its proposal to restrict expanded bitumen shipments from Alberta through B.C., for shipment overseas.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, concerned the death of the pipeline would cost the province thousands of jobs and $1.5 billion annually in lost revenue, interpreted B.C.’s move as backing off and suspended her boycott of B.C. wines and renewed interest in talks to buy B.C. electricity.
On Monday, Singh supported both leaders for defending their respective province’s interests and refused to take sides. “I’m a federal leader. My concerns are with the federal government.”
Singh blames the discord on the “sham” of an environmental review system used by the Trudeau government.
“He used a sham process to approve a pipeline and that’s why we are in this position,” said Singh. “I believe in a principled approach. It’s got to be science-based and evidence-based. It’s clear that the process that used was not either and it didn’t take into consideration environmental concerns.” A new review should be conducted and a new environmental review framework created that protects Canada’s environment, he said.
Singh is using the tour to take the Trudeau government to task over items in last month’s budget, including a decision to announce consultations on a national program to help people buy prescription drugs, rather than implementing one.
He wants to see opioid addiction declared a public-health emergency “as a basic first bold step” to give necessary financial resources to those trying to save lives. B.C. already has declared an emergency. About 1,400 people died of illicit drug overdoses in the province last year, according to the B.C. Coroners Service.
Singh visited the John Howard Society and spoke to the Campbell River Chamber of Commerce at the Coast Discovery Inn on Monday. He told the chamber that Canada needs tax rules that help small businesses grow, instead of helping big foreign corporations get richer and more powerful.
He said he wants to talk to Islanders about the economy. The government says it’s going well, “but I know that’s not how people feel,” he said. A theme of his talks is the inequality between the “massively powerful and wealthy and everyone else,” and related offshore tax havens.
Singh won’t be in Victoria during this Island visit. He visited shortly after being voted in as NDP leader in October 2017.
Singh travelled to the Comox Valley Monday night for a “Jagmeet & Greet” in Courtenay.
Tuesday morning, Singh is in Port Alberni to speak to students at Alberni District Secondary School and Parksville for a 12:45 p.m. waterfront tour with Communities Protecting Our Coast, a group trying to stop expansion of oil-tanker traffic on the West Coast.
He will then head to Nanaimo to visit CODE, a non-profit community dental clinic at 2:15 p.m. and finish the day with a meet-and -greet at Bee’s Knees Cafe on Wallace Street at 6:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, Singh will be in Duncan to tour Vancouver Island University’s campus there. At 11:30 a.m., he will make an announcement at Hecate Park in Cowichan Bay on ocean and wildlife protection, ending the day with a meet-and-greet at the Ramada Hotel in Duncan. He visits Vancouver on Thursday and finishes up in Penticton on Friday.
