The sudden bonding between premiers Christy Clark and Alison Redford on Tuesday looks more like a quick effort to avoid a protocol lapse than a long-term agreement.
Redford was scheduled weeks ago to make a major speech in Vancouver. A sit-down with Clark would be a mandatory part of any such visit.
But that get-together was cancelled late Sunday night when the sensitive part of the pipeline situation — the money part — again became an irritant.
The pair’s off-and-on relationship clicked off again, and the scheduled meeting looked to be off. After a night’s worth of work by officials, they patched together what they’re calling a “framework agreement.” It was enough to reschedule a meeting and a joint news conference.
But it’s certainly not enough of an understanding to build a pipeline on. It’s just a vague agreement to put off the awkwardness until later.
Not that a firm deal can’t be reached. It’s just that if it comes together, it will be hammered out by senior staff from both provinces, far from the premiers’ photo-ops.
Deputy ministers have been involved in a working group since July, tasked with the problem of developing new energy export markets for B.C. and Alberta.
They’ve divided into several groups to discuss several aspects of the issue. But the big one is the “fair share” requirement B.C. has set as one of the five conditions before the province will consider any pipelines crossing the mountains to the coast. The working group is scheduled to deliver an action plan within two weeks and a final report by the end of the year.
The framework agreement that Clark and Redford concocted Tuesday (which wasn’t released, only referred to in a statement) is a long way from that.
The specific points involve B.C. endorsing Redford’s proposed Canadian energy strategy. That amounts to signing a petition, painless enough from B.C.’s point of view.
In return, Redford recognized the value of B.C.’s five conditions, something she said she has always done.
She also agrees B.C. has the right to negotiate with industry on the fair share, and both premiers agree it’s not up to them to argue those benefits. They also agree the fair share won’t come from Alberta’s share of the take from pipeline revenues.
It was enough to get them through the day without having to face another “feuding premiers” story. But there’s a big hole in the middle of the statement where a hard-and-fast deal with full details should be.
The bigger development was in Clark’s rhetoric during her appearance with Redford. “I got elected on a platform of economic development .... That’s what I’m doing. I got elected to do it, I made that promise and I’m going to deliver on that promise.”
She said satisfying B.C.’s five conditions (marine and land safety, approved permits, First Nations buy-in and a fair share of revenue) would satisfy a lot of people’s concerns about the projects.
Anti-pipeline groups like the New Democrats are reading that as a flip-flop from the government’s pre-election stance. B.C.’s last formal presentation to the pipeline hearings was a forceful argument against the Enbridge Northern Gateway proposal.
In reality, it’s a continuation of the long tightrope walk Clark has been making between the yes and no camps on the pipeline. As long as the conditions are present and hard to quantify, Clark has the leeway to placate opponents one day and support Redford the next.
Tuesday’s talk suggests that if the day ever comes when the conditions are finally met, Clark will finally get off the tightrope and support an oil pipeline of some sort.
But that day is still a way off.
Just So You Know: Tuesday was a shocking day for B.C. The big story of the day involved the nuances of an inter-provincial policy story.
Meanwhile, Ontarians were stopped in their tracks by the transfixing antics of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and then the dramatic expulsion of three greedy senators in Ottawa.
Scandal, drama and craziness used to be B.C.’s turf. This country is changing.
