Premier Christy Clark catches religion on the environment to try to keep her job

by Charlie Smith on Jul 25, 2012 at 8:27 am
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On Earth Day, a large crowd gathered in East Vancouver demanding action on the environment from political leaders who had ignored this issue for far too long.
Charlie Smith

Christy Clark's Northern Gateway paroxysm appears to be all about saving her premiership

For years, critics have highlighted the risk to B.C.'s coastline that could arise from Enbridge's proposal to build 1,172-kilometre pipelines shipping condensate from Kitimat to Alberta and bitumen back the other way.

Vancouver Island writer Andrew Findlay wrote a cover story on this topic for the Georgia Straight back in February 2009.

I wrote a cover story for the Straight in May 2010 about how Big Oil was eyeing the B.C. coast.

In my article, a range of people were quoted with concerns, including Coastal First Nations executive director Art Sterritt, Living Oceans Society spokesperson Jennifer Lash, and pipeline-safety expert Rick Kuprewicz.

Clark didn't wake up and express any serious concerns on this issue until this month—after being repeatedly hammered in public opinion polls.

As a talk-show host on CKNW Radio, she wasn't worried about the Enbridge pipeline or Kinder Morgan's planned expansion. She wasn't bothered by pipelines when she sought the B.C. Liberal leadership. And she was blasé about this issue when she ran in the Vancouver–Point Grey by-election.

Her silence was very telling.

Now, three-and-a-half years after the first major alarms were being raised, the premier is rushing to the ramparts to defend British Columbia.

There's a war of words with Alberta and lots of huffing and puffing about how Clark is standing up for her province.

When Clark is cornered, she can turn vicious on her opponents, as Alberta's premier Alison Redford is about to discover.

The media will give Clark plenty of airtime to show how she's caught religion on the environment. Expect to see photo-ops of Clark on the beaches, possibly accompanied by some third-party endorsers, looking as green as she can possibly appear to be.

Given her approach to this issue in recent years, I'm sure it will all ring very hollow to hardworking activists who've tried in the past without success to get her attention.

Comments (15) Add New Comment
Rob Sommerfeldt
Jul 25, 2012 at 10:12 am
Oh come on! The only real concern she raised was that she wanted to get paid in order to approve the pipeline. All the rest of her platform are just words blowing in the wind. Enbridge will tell us anything we want to hear in order to get this pipeline thru. The only real way to keep them honest is to have them post a one billion dollar contingency fee in case of a spill. At least then they can't just do a quickie clean-up and wash their hands of it.
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Cal
Jul 25, 2012 at 10:55 am
So what then is an unpopular premier, leading an unpopular government backing an unpopular project to do? Of course, she has to pretend she is opposed to it.

Quoted from Toronto Sun - Lorne Gunter and it's right on the mark
Enough said!

http://www.torontosun.com/2012/07/24/pipeline-posturing-just-political-t...
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DavidH
Jul 25, 2012 at 11:09 am
I don't think that I've ever seen a more inept premier in BC, and I've been here since the early 1970s. It's (almost) comical. Where does this person get her advice ... and does she listen?

Position #1: We won't take a position on Northern Gateway until we've seen the results of the National Energy Board hearings. Period.

Position #2: We want more money out of the Northern Gateway project. If we don't get more money, we'll kill the project. Period.

Position #3: We don't have enough information to decide if the benefits (whatever they are) are worth the risks (whatever they are). But we know that we want more money. Period.

(Meanhile, she seems to be ignoring the fact that Enbridge is running around, throwing bundles of cash at First Nations, in the hope of buying their support. Has anybody from the government asked Enbridge to throw a few bundles of cash in the direction of Victoria?)

When it comes to Clark, I'm reminded of Red Green's signature line (modified): "If the voters don't find you handsome, they should at least find you smart."
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hAYOKA
Jul 25, 2012 at 11:14 am
Gateway can't happen only the selfish and ignorant see it as a possibility . Fossel fuel / hydrocarbons are killing us in a exponecial rate in many ways . We need to find alternatives by investing in these alternative ideas of which there are many .
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2nd Nation
Jul 25, 2012 at 12:15 pm
I'm looking forward to seeing this sad Premiere walking out of the legislature for the last time.

If Campbell was at the helm I'd vote for him again (3 times the majority of BCers voted him a majority!). I liked him for the Climate Change Plan and Air Action Plan that he entrenched in *law* (only N.A. jurisdiction to do so).

Christy's seriously floundering now and looking for anything that will float her boat.
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Ab Cutrock
Jul 25, 2012 at 12:58 pm
BC's premier is an inept light weight, a lot like the rest of the protest-people who are weak minded and bought.
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Ian G62
Jul 25, 2012 at 1:56 pm
My concern if it becomes an election issue a. The Liberal will ram it through before the election making it legally impossible to back out of and b. even if they don't the NDP will get in power will continue the process in their own way.

Anyone who thinks the NDP will put a halt to the pipeline once they are in power is living in la-la land.
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Skywalker
Jul 25, 2012 at 2:16 pm
I never liked Cristy, I still don't and never will...But if what we need is Her to stop the pipeline from being built, I'm all up for it.
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petr aardvark
Jul 25, 2012 at 3:46 pm
my wife who works with the first nations - notes that all this is political posturing. The pipeline is dead, because the first nations will never allow it. They can tie up the courts for decades. In any case most British Columbians see little benefit, but lots of risk to fiheries & tourism jobs and our pristine environment. Redfords response only adds to the opposition. Theres a lot of comments by Alberta posters who say Alta should block BC natural gas pipeline. Laughable really when most of that is going to up to Ft. McMurray to process the bitumen.
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petr aardvark
Jul 25, 2012 at 3:49 pm
No Royalties. Just charge them the same co2 tax that we all pay on fossil fuels (which is due to increase) on every barrel shipped through. And yes like Rob S. says above have them post a billion dollar bond, for cleanup contingency - when it happens.
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@ charlie
Jul 25, 2012 at 5:54 pm
The pipeline is going ahead. Do you really believe that the Lie-berals are concened about the environment? This is just a convenient cash grab like the carbon tax siphoned off to pay for who knows what.

If the pipeline doesn't go to the BC west coast it is going to the Washington State west coast and BC will get nothing.
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China Oil is on a buying spree
Jul 25, 2012 at 8:31 pm
With the latest acquisition amounting to 15.1 billion in Alberta tar sands.
The way China Oil is buying up oil in Alberta you would think China Oil is certain a pipeline going through.
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morg
Jul 26, 2012 at 8:19 am
Christy care about the environment thats a good one she has said for a price she will trash hundreds of rivers and streams for the all mightry dollar! Vote out the liberals!
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Eliza Olson
Jul 26, 2012 at 3:28 pm
IF Christie were really concerned about people she would have done something about the South Fraser Perimeter Road that is destroying good farmland--we don't have enough to feed ourselves now--peoples homes, and putting everyone in the lower mainland at risk for more health-related problems. i.e. respiratory and cancered related health problems. Gateway South Fraser Perimeter RoadTechnical report No. 16, page 39--they said it! I didn't.
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Glenna Miles
Jul 28, 2012 at 8:32 pm
@Charlie. BC is already getting nothing. Enbridge own site states total of about 170 jobs to man a huge sea port when all is said and done at the risk of losing irreplaceable land, water, wildlife, fish, thousands of eco friendly jobs and the livelihood and lifestyle of BC First Nations. There is NO Planet B.
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