New Democrat MLA George Heyman says his party will apply a “consistent lens” on natural resource projects in B.C.

The Vancouver-Fairview representative made the assertion when he was asked how the B.C. NDP is looking at its sister party in Alberta, the ruling New Democrats of Premier Rachel Notley.

Notley supports the twinning of Kinder Morgan’s TransMountain oil pipeline, which will triple the capacity of the system between Edmonton in Alberta and Burnaby in B.C.’s Lower Mainland.

Notley has also given indications that she is reconsidering her previous opposition to Northern Gateway. That's the pipeline system proposed by Enbridge Inc. to bring Alberta’s heavy oil to a marine export facility in the northwestern B.C. town of Kitimat.

The B.C. NDP opposes the two pipeline projects.

“Every party in every province, particularly governing parties, have to deal with the realities of their province and the current state of their economy,” Heyman told the Straight in a phone interview.

According to the Vancouver-Fairview MLA, Notley has “taken significant strides to address greenhouse gas emissions in a number of ways in Alberta”.

Heyman was referring to the climate change strategy unveiled by Notley in November last year. The plan includes a cap on oilsands emissions.

“In B.C., we have to make decisions in the best interest of British Columbians, and that’s why the B.C. NDP and [party leader] John Horgan have put forward our four conditions for development,” the New Democrat continued.

Heyman went to enumerate: jobs for British Columbians, benefits for B.C., partnership with First Nations, and protection of the air, land, and water. The latter includes the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and addressing climate-change impacts.

“That’s the consistent lens that we apply to projects,” Heyman said.

Horgan and Heyman had cited the same four conditions when the pair wrote the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency on March 10, 2016.

In the letter, the New Democrats rejected the proposed liquefied natural gas facility near Prince Rupert, the Pacific NorthWest LNG.

The planned Pacific NorthWest LNG facility will be serviced by the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission, a proposed 900-kilometre gas pipeline from northern B.C.

“The Official Opposition Caucus has said repeatedly that LNG development project proposals in B.C. must meet four criteria to be acceptable to British Columbians,” Horgan and Heyman stated in their letter.

The four conditions by the B.C. NDP are similar to the five requirements set by the B.C. Liberal government of Premier Christy Clark to gain its support for heavy oil pipelines in the province.

These are: the completion of an environmental review process, world-leading marine oil spill response, land oil spill prevention, respect for aboriginal and treaty rights, and a fair share of the economic benefits.

The National Energy Board is expected on May 20 to send its recommendations about Kinder Morgan’s planned TransMountain pipeline expansion.

As far as Heyman is concerned, “Nothing [has] changed in the Kinder Morgan proposal.”