Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

FELDSTED: Why would our Prime Minister undermine negotiations before they happen? … what emerges is a government in disarray


Liberals won’t appeal Trans Mountain ruling, name former justice to oversee new Indigenous consultations
~~ Amanda Connolly  ~~  Global News  ~~  October 3, 2018

The Liberals will not appeal a court ruling that found they failed to adequately consult with Indigenous stakeholders on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.  Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi made the announcement Wednesday morning in Ottawa.

Speaking to reporters, Sohi said the government will redo consultations with all 117 Indigenous groups affected by the project.  Former Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci has also been appointed to oversee these new consultations.

In August, a Federal Court ruling hit the brakes on the Trans Mountain expansion project, which will triple the capacity of an existing pipeline to carry crude oil to the BC coast.  That ruling flagged two major issues with the project: first, that the initial approval by the National Energy Board was fundamentally flawed for not considering the impact of the expansion and increased tanker traffic on marine ecosystems and second, that the current Liberal government failed in its duty to consult adequately during the latest Phase 3 round of talks with Indigenous communities.

For full story CLICK HERE:

The flaw in pipeline assessment is regulations that requires upstream, and downstream, assessment of product moved in a pipeline. That is ridiculous overkill and rationally unsupportable.

Upstream are production facilities; those producers who pull up raw product from the ground. All of them are separately assessed and face regulations on their operation designed to minimize carbon emissions.


Downstream are the operations that will use products moved by pipelines, again regulated by governments respecting carbon emissions if resident in Canada. If the operation is in a foreign country, downstream assessment is ridiculous.

If we are competing in an open market, we cannot refuse to export to a given nation because it is not on the climate change reduction plan. Under that thinking, we cannot export to the USA as it has withdrawn from the Paris accord.

It takes a wondrous flight of fancy to decide that the National Energy Board (NEB) must consider how the Trans Mountain pipeline project will influence tanker traffic, and the whale population, on west cost. Protection of marine species is under the Natural Resources and Oceans and Fisheries departments. That is already regulated.  Furthermore, tanker traffic along with huge container ships and ocean liners, are regulated as all have substantial stores of motive fuel and lubricants that can result in damaging spills.

Protection of coastal waters against accidental spills employs known technology.  The higher the risk, the more need for adequate equipment and crews trained to deal with containing and cleaning up a spill.  Whether that spill originated from an overturned rail car, a barge which has run aground, a boat or ship hitting a reef or the shore -- action is required. That role is usually carried out by the Coast Guard with assistance from specialist private contractors.

The article above is disconcerting:
“Where possible, the government will try to offer accommodations to indigenous communities to relieve their concerns.  But if groups remain opposed after the government has fulfilled its consultation requirements, it will still go forward.”

Why would Prime Minister Justin Trudeau undermine negotiations before they happen? That is not good faith dealing, that will advance reconciliation. The well is poisoned before the first water is drawn.  
 
What emerges is a government in disarray ... having several departments and agencies tripping over one another is inane. 

Concerns dealing with marine species, and ocean traffic, are dealt with by appropriate departments. Allow them to fulfill their mandates without interference from the National Energy Board.

Too many cooks produce an inedible stew.


John Feldsted
Political Consultant & Strategist
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FORSETH -- Focus on the nine things I mentioned. That’s what will allow the Conservative Party to win the next election

IMAGE CREDIT:   Darryl Dyck, the Canadian Press. I thought I had already made up my mind who I would be ranking on my ballot, in the Conservative Party of BC leadership race; now I am not so sure.  That means that, at least for me, and perhaps many others, it’s a good thing voting hasn’t already taken place. There were initially only one or two of the candidates that I thought might be a little too right of centre for my liking, now it seems that list is growing. I consider myself more closely aligned with what used to be called a Progressive Conservative, regardless, I feel more than comfortable within the Conservative Party of BC.  Some, however, in messages to me on my political Facebook page, have been rather, shall we say, a bit mean-spirited in comments they’ve made about my ‘purity’ as a conservative. To tell you the truth, I really don’t care! Some leadership candidates, in comments made online, have also been raising the issue of who is a pure enough conservati...
Post a Comment
Read more

WARD STAMER -- Those are REAL forestry numbers, not just made-up numbers

The following is a condensed version of remarks Kamloops – North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer’s made, regarding Forestry, in the BC Legislature, on Tuesday afternoon (02/24/2026)   Let’s talk a little bit, when we talk about Budget 2026, about the forest industry, which is near and dear to my heart. Forestry remains one of British Columbia’s foundational industries. It’s a pillar that built this province. Entire communities depend upon it. Interior towns, northern communities, Vancouver Island regions, the Kootenays, the Lower Mainland, with manufacturing facilities in Surrey and Maple Ridge, just to name a few — everywhere in BC is touched by forestry. One word that was not mentioned in Budget 2026 was forestry. That’s a shame, an incredible shame. It wasn’t an oversight – it was intentional. This government has driven forestry into the ground .... INTO THE GROUND! We can talk a little bit about some of the initiatives that this government has brought forth, to try to resurrect ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Your government has a gambling problem (Troy Media)

Provinces call it “revenue,” but it looks a lot like exploitation of the marginalized The odds of winning Lotto Max are about 1 in 33 million. You’re statistically more likely to be struck by lightning than to win it. But your government is betting that statistics won’t hold you back; they’re counting on it. Across Canada, provincial governments not only regulate gambling, they also maintain a monopoly on lottery and gaming by owning and operating the entire legal market. That means every scratch card is government-issued, gambling odds are government-set, casino ads are government-funded and lottery billboards are government-paid. And these are not incidental government activities. They generate significant revenues that governments have powerful incentives to expand, not constrain. It would be one thing for our governments to encourage us to engage in healthy activities. We can quibble about whether the government should be trying to convince us to be more active or eat more vegetabl...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more