Image Credit: CFJC Balance of Power

By James Peters

PRE-ELECTION PIPELINE TALKS

Whispering Pines Chief hoping for Trans Mountain discussions before fall election

May 11, 2019 | 8:17 AM

KAMLOOPS — The chair of a First Nations organization trying to acquire an equity stake in the Trans Mountain pipeline says he hopes the government sits down before the House of Commons rises ahead of the fall election.

The National Energy Board is expected to decide in June whether the proposed twinning of the pipeline can go through, and if the government has met conditions set out by the Federal Court of Appeal.

Whispering Pines/Clinton Chief Michael LeBourdais told CFJC’s Balance of Power the Western Indigenous Pipeline Group has its financing in place, and is now simply waiting to talk to the Trudeau government.

“We’re constantly poking Ottawa saying, ‘When are we going to talk?’, and that’s what we’re hoping for,” He says, “I would like to get this done before the next election, or before the House rises. You know, as Canadians, we know that when the House rises, things come to a screeching halt.”

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LeBourdais says having an equity stake in the pipeline would bring First Nations to the table for environmental reporting, giving Indigenous people more oversight.

“We already have our partnership team together. We have our operators, we have the insurance guys, the engineering guys, and now we have the financial guys, TD Securities,” LeBourdais explains, “What I need is cooperation from Ottawa.”