Notley forms task force to get advice on “additional action” against B.C.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley announced Friday a new task force she’s formed to get advice on any future economic or legal measures against British Columbia in the dispute over the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project.

But she said she already has specific ideas of what those measures could be, although she won’t elaborate on what they are.

“The point of doing a strategic rollout is the strategic in the rollout,” she said.

The members include former New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna, Former Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan, former Syncrude Canada president Jim Carter and noted legal scholar Peter Hogg.

“We’ve already been getting advice from them and talking with them, we’ll probably bring them together pretty soon,” she said.

Alberta has already suspended the import of B.C. wine into the province, as well as selling electricity, after British Columbia announced its move to ban increased bitumen imports through pipelines and conduct consultations about spill cleanup.

But concern in the Alberta Government and the oil and gas industry is the projected timeline of those consultations taking up to a year.

“Absolutely not,” Notley said when asked if that timeline is acceptable. “Anything that would actually result in delay, as I said, resulting in a delay because they bring in regulations pending the consultation, which is what they suggested might happen.”

“Or, that suggests that they might in the future bring in regulations that would impact what could go in the pipeline, that’s not on.”

One of Notley’s main arguments is that what B.C. is doing is unconstitutional, because it’s trying to impose provisions it doesn’t have: specifically what products go into a pipeline.

That authority belongs to the federal government, which is standing by its decision to approve the pipeline, although Notley has called on the prime minister to take a stronger stance.

But Horgan said earlier this week that he won’t be distracted by Notley’s trade attempts and that he does have the law on his side.

“We are currently in court with respect to the Kinder Morgan process, the pipeline, and until we get a resolution from the federal court, that is an option question,” he said. “When it comes to our right, my right as the premier, George’s (Heyman) right as the minister of environment to consult with British Columbians about putting in place protections for our environment and our economy, I see now ground for the premier to stand on.”

While Notley is currently looking at further retaliatory measures, Horgan said he’s not.

“I have no intention of responding each day to events in other jurisdictions,” he said. “We stand with our wine industry.”

But as Notley suggested, consultation isn’t the issue.

It’s whether those consultations could further delay a project – and potentially end it – when it has already been approved, in part according the prime minister, because of Alberta’s Climate Leadership Plan.

However, Horgan said Wednesday he stands by his position

“At this point, all we’ve done is announce our intention to consult with British Columbians,” he said. “Our court case focuses on what we believe was a lack of due attention by the National Energy Board to the interest of British Columbia in making their determination.”

“We are acting I believe as a responsible government.”