JODY WILSON-RAYBOULD -- Leadership demands looking beyond the next election cycle or meeting or moment in time, changing course where the course has failed, and being bold in new ways
Note: The body of
this text was written just prior to the federal government’s re-announcement of
the go-ahead for the Trans-Mountain pipeline. It has been e3dited to reflect this
I have decided to write down some thoughts on the Trans
Mountain Pipeline – a project that has been and continues to be a hot topic of
conversation in Vancouver and across the country, one with a diversity of views
and positions. It should be of no surprise that many of you have asked my
opinion on the pipeline. Media have asked me for a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer on
whether I support the expansion. The answer for me is not that simple. There
are many considerations – which I touch on below. No question, the Trans
Mountain Pipeline will continue to garner debate and I welcome your feedback
and thoughts on this important issue.
The government has said further court-ordered
consultations with Indigenous peoples have taken place, and that the effects on
the marine environment have been addressed. And having done this work, and
imposed further conditions, the project is, once again, approved.
If the past is any precedent – and in no way
condoning or encouraging the breaking of the law – there will be a rapid
mobilization of on the ground conflict that will foster cycles of tensions. As
a result, Canadians will be further divided. While there will be photo-ops and
talk of “getting shovels in the ground”, no one will be able to say with
certainty when – or if – actual pipe will be laid and if any product will ever
flow through it.
For me, and others, there is still an open question
whether there is a compelling economic case for the expansion project. At the
end of the day the economic viability of the project is ultimately tied to the
question of how long the transition from fossil fuels to other energy sources
will take place globally and until then, where countries will source their oil.
Make no mistake there is, thankfully, a transition
to renewables taking place; it is just a question of how long. At some point
global demand for fossil fuels will, with regional variation, decline and at an
accelerating rate. This timeline depends on many variables: government policies
(domestic and international); affordability and availability of alternative
sources of energy (based on developing technology and level of investment);
ability of interest groups to delay or speed up the transition; and,
ultimately, the will of us – the people.
A relevant question for those concerned with
climate change (and most of us are – regardless of political stripe) is how
fast will the necessary and inevitable transition from fossil fuels take? The
big question is, will it be fast enough to put the breaks on human-made climate
change? Time – as always – is of the essence.
Accordingly, for someone investing in pipelines
with a time-limited future, it comes down to a basic equation of supply and
demand and whether the investment is sound. The investment analysts have their
views, as do the companies and people with “skin” in the fossil fuel game, as
do those who oppose on principle any expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure.
Who do you believe? Who do you want to believe?
For me, I am not convinced of the economic case for
TMX. I would also like more certainty about how long these pipelines will be
operating during the transition. Yes, we need the existing pipeline today, but
what capacity do we need in the future? There are no black and white answers.
There are other wildcards that could also happen –
such as a further sale of the project, including a move to significant
Indigenous ownership – but at this time these outcomes seem uncertain.
In my opinion, and truth be told, we did not need
to land in this spot.
I recall the conversations I had with British
Columbians and Canadians over four years ago when I first ran to be the Member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville. I heard –
and continue to hear as I knock on doors in Vancouver Granville – from so many
voices with the full range of views on pipelines, and other major resource
development projects.
I I expressed then, as I believe now, that there are
three prerequisites for such projects to proceed. These are:
- a resetting of the legislative and policy foundations for transformed relations with Indigenous peoples, including support for Indigenous governance and decision-making;
- a robust investment in environmental protection; and,
- a clear, predictable, and structured plan, with transformative investments, for rapid transition to a true green economy.
While I was in government, I continued to carry
forward the message about these three prerequisites. My views have not changed.
What has changed is the environment (no pun intended) in which we are having
this conversation. To date, in my view, the necessary prerequisites for
building the Trans Mountain Pipeline have not fully been met.
Why are we in this spot?
Unfortunately, we have arrived here because choices
and actions that have been taken have resulted in a broad cross-section of
Canadians of all backgrounds deciding they do not trust the federal government
to own, operate, and regulate this project. And as an Indigenous person and
leader I know how paralyzing mistrust can be to getting anything done. More
than anything a lack of trust, and broken trust, breeds paralysis and maintains
the status quo.
What caused this mistrust with TMX? In my view, and
just to name a few:
- There is mistrust because of the lack of meeting standards the government committed to enshrine in legislation and policy regarding Indigenous rights;
- There is mistrust that stems from a continued lack of confidence in the regulatory process;
- There is mistrust because of how long it has taken the government to move this forward, while also not pursuing the exploration of alternative pipelines;
- There is mistrust because it seems inconsistent with the imperative of addressing climate change, including how building a pipeline will actually help transition to a new green economy;
- There is mistrust because leaders of all stripes, at many points of time, have seemed incapable of sitting down, collaborating, and sorting this issue out; and,
- There is mistrust because of poor communication and insufficient information sharing on the part of government, matched with misinformation and hyperbole by those in opposition. Simply put, when making decisions about the relationship between major resource development, climate change, and Indigenous reconciliation becomes dominated by politics and political expediency, the end result is never good.
To re-iterate, I believe today what I believed four
years ago. There are contexts where pipeline projects, are viable and important
– and I certainly understand and appreciate the economic imperative for
millions of Canadians. But the place we have landed at this moment in time is
one in which a climate of failure and conflict has prevailed.
The vision of how such projects fit into the future
of Canada, including addressing climate change and Indigenous reconciliation,
has been lost in a fog of confusion, mixed messaging, and a lack of leadership
from multiple governments.
We need to get beyond this.
How do we do this?
We often hear about the intersection of climate
change, reconciliation, and jobs and economic growth. And this is true – they
are all intimately related. But I think Canadians are tired of just hearing
they intersect – we need to be talking about how they intersect, and actually
design our policies and decisions around these three matters in ways that make
sense.
While some progress has been made, more needs to be
done. Let me give examples.
When we hear from Indigenous peoples and the courts
that processes and decisions were “too little – too late”, we need to be
designing with Indigenous peoples far earlier what is proactive and
appropriate, based on legislative and policy foundations that are helping
Indigenous Nations re-build their governance and decision-making structures –
to become full partners in Confederation.
When we confront the urgent need of addressing
climate change, we need to explain, illustrate and entertain how pipeline
development is actually only one part of the substantial investment, job creation,
and transition to a green economy that must take place in a fixed timeframe.
Pipelines have a limited lifespan.
When we recognize that changing global and local
conditions disproportionately impacts a particular region or people, we need to
intervene early in partnership to implement plans for job growth in new sectors
within those regions. We know there is clear evidence that with bold and big
investment in environmental innovation and renewables we will create
exponentially more sustainable green jobs.
And we need to do this through recognition that all
of this work on these issues revolves around the same fundamental challenge –
building the most resilient Canada for the 21stcentury.
Resilience means many things – but more than
anything it means toughness. And Canada needs to be increasingly tough to
confront a world where forests burn, seas rise, opportunities close, tensions
heighten, and uncertainty rules. And the resilience – toughness – that we need
as a country never has its foundation in division.
We all have to make sacrifices for the survival of
our climate, our planet. Whether we want to or not – it is our duty to the next
generation and the generations unborn. And most of us are ready – indeed
driven. We just want leadership to make the right decisions with the least
amount of pain and the most impact. We want informed decisions based on
evidence and common sense, and to limit the roles of special interests and
excessive partisanship.
Yet, while a majority of people will accept a
pipeline with conditions, we risk increasing division around this project.
Leadership demands looking beyond the next election
cycle or meeting or moment in time, changing course where the course has
failed, and being bold in new ways. In this case, we need leadership that can
help stop the mistrust and division, and reset a proper economic course that
accounts for the real connections to reconciliation and climate change.
It has been famously said that the definition of
insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different
result.
Given this unfortunate reality, a better approach,
in my view, would have been to acknowledge the broken context, and not proceed
with the Trans Mountain Pipeline at this time.
This approach requires leadership, collaboration
and commitment along with bold and concrete plans that actually reset the
direction of our energy future in a way Canadians can trust and get behind –
from coast-to-coast-to-coast.
What are your thoughts?
Gilakas’la,
Jody
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