(OTTAWA) — Green Party leader Elizabeth May (MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands) has condemned the Trudeau administration’s latest attempt to force through the completion of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline extension.
Under the guise of “the national interest” the Prime Minister plans to spend Canadians’ hard-earned tax dollars to help an American multinational, violate his campaign promise to end fossil fuel subsidies and perpetuate Canada’s colonial legacy by keeping Indigenous leaders out of the process.
“To reassure Kinder Morgan shareholders, Trudeau will buy into the project, and have finance minister Bill Morneau broker a deal behind closed doors,” said Ms. May. “It’s an affront to democracy. Canadians should know where their money is going and they shouldn’t be bankrolling a giant Texas corporation by providing new subsidies to a major fossil fuel project. The reality is that Kinder Morgan's project is high risk because it lacks markets, and now Trudeau is prepared to bail them out."
Ms. May also questioned the Trudeau administration’s respect for the rule of law. “Shouldn’t we wait for the court to rule on the legitimacy of the permit issued to Kinder Morgan? Why is the federal government in such a hurry to steamroll over opposition to a project that will cause irreparable harm ‒ to the environment and to Indigenous rights?”
“A fairer way forward,” said Ms. May, “is to include Indigenous leaders every step of the way and to join B.C. Premier John Horgan in his reference to the Supreme Court to settle the question of jurisdiction. The quality of partnerships is vital to the success of a federation and Trudeau’s constant repetition of the ‘national interest’ mantra cannot repair the damage he is undertaking.”
Ms. May added that Canada cannot meet its Paris commitment to hold global average temperature to 1.5 degrees C while simultaneously expanding the oil sands.
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