XPost: bc.politics, van.general, vic.general   
   XPost: can.politics   
   From: Cons®cons@govt.cda   
      
   'No Alberta pipeline to west coast' ==   Christy Clark BEFORE provincial   
   election.   
      
   [To Alberta premier]: “We understand in British Columbia how important   
   it is that resources get to the coast".   ==== Christy Clark, today.   
      
   __________________________________________   
      
      
   Alberta, B.C. launch plan to expand oil, gas exports   
      
      
   Postmedia News July 26, 2013   
      
      
      
   NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ont. – The premiers of British Columbia and Alberta   
   have launched a joint plan to expand exports of oil, gas and other   
   resources, laying the groundwork for new pipeline projects to the west   
   coast.   
      
   Wrapping up discussions at the Council of the Federation annual retreat   
   of Canada’s 13 premiers, Christy Clark and Alison Redford said they had   
   instructed their senior bureaucrats to start working together on   
   policies to promote the exports and allow their fossil-fuel industries   
   to gain access to new markets in Asia, driving up the prices for their   
   resources.   
      
   â€œWe understand in British Columbia how important it is that resources   
   get to the coast,â€� said Clark, standing next to Redford. “We are getting   
   our natural gas to the coast and off to Asia, hopefully selling it at a   
   much, much higher price. We understand the economics of that. And   
   Alberta understands that social licence is something that’s important   
   for moving resources so we’re going to work through some of those   
   details together and you can’t do that if you don’t sit down and talk.â€�   
      
   Redford said the discussions were at a preliminary stage that would go   
   beyond talks about Enbridge’s Northern Gateway project, now under review   
   by an independent panel. She said the provinces would also discuss which   
   projects could be viable in the future.   
      
   â€œOne of the things that’s been really exciting this year, I think right   
   across Canada, but particularly in Alberta and British Columbia, is   
   we’re seeing a number of people who are really coming to terms with the   
   fact that responsible resource development is what’s going to allow us   
   to continue to have economic growth in Canada,â€� Redford said.   
      
   B.C. and Quebec were the only provinces that declined to sign on to a   
   progress report, released this week by premiers, on a national energy   
   strategy that was spearheaded by Redford, establishing a set of common   
   values to promote co-operation and growth as well as social and   
   environmental responsibility.   
      
   Clark said her government still had concerns about the risks of the   
   existing Northern Gateway proposal and was opposed to the project, which   
   if approved, would create a new link between Alberta’s oilsands region   
   and the west coast of British Columbia, opening the door to more   
   expansion in the Alberta industry.   
      
   Environmental groups and First Nations communities have opposed most   
   pipeline expansion projects from the oilsands region, arguing that the   
   industry needs to first crack down on its environmental footprint and   
   heat-trapping emissions which contribute to global warming before it   
   expands.   
      
   But both premiers noted that they were elected with mandates to create   
   jobs and grow the economy, explaining that their provinces were economic   
   engines for the entire country.   
      
   â€œAlison and I have been having this (discussion) together as premiers,   
   we want to take the next concrete step in that journey and have our   
   officials sit down and start really grinding through some of the details   
   to find out where we can find common ground, where we disagree and where   
   we need to try and work a little harder,â€� said Clark.   
      
   The B.C. premier added that improving Coast Guard response to   
   emergencies on the coast would also be a key factor and a failure to   
   boost its ability could be an obstacle to economic growth.   
      
   â€œThe federal government has been stripping down Coast Guard response in   
   British Columbia, not adding to it,â€� Clark said. “So they’re going in   
   the wrong direction on that and if we want to protect our coast, they’re   
   going to have to step up to the plate on that.â€�   
      
   Redford also said she had interesting discussions with New Brunswick and   
   Quebec about a separate pipeline proposal to bring Alberta’s oil to   
   eastern Canadian refineries and that each jurisdiction was now reviewing   
   details of the project.   
      
   For her part, Quebec Premier Pauline Marois said she was happy to have   
   discussions and exchange information with her colleagues about energy   
   policies, but did not want to endorse a national strategy with elements   
   that could interfere with Quebec’s constitutional jurisdictions.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)