Forget about putting my tax dollars into a pipeline

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley has gone as far as to consider buying it outright. If Albertans want to buy themselves a pipeline that may or may not be built, that’s up to them.

It’s an entirely different matter, though, when Justin Trudeau talks about putting up federal dollars. That means, money from the pockets of you and me.

Since Trudeau has already racked up an impressive record of debt, throwing money at the Trans Mountain project would be a bit much, to say the least.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall as these two governments talk with Kinder Morgan on whatever private-public partnership they have in mind.

It would be quite the thing to watch, an American company and not one but two Canadian jurisdictions trying to build a $7.4-billion pipeline expansion. Who would hold what shares, who would make the decisions?

I don’t know about you, but I’m not anxious to see my tax dollars used for that, even if we assume the project is good for the economy and wouldn’t endanger B.C.’s environment either inland or on the Coast.

Besides which, how is injecting public money into Trans Mountain going to resolve the legal and constitutional challenges it faces?

Let Notley rage about “cooperative federalism” and cutting off B.C.’s oil supply, while Trudeau blathers on about the “national interest,” but it seems to me the only clear answer will come from the courts, whenever John Horgan gets around to letting it be known exactly what he wants the courts to answer.

The longer Horgan waits, the more likely it is Trudeau will pass new legislation removing any doubt about who’s in charge.

But nationalizing a pipeline? Forget it.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

by Armchair Mayor

Forget about putting my tax dollars into a pipeline

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