Rafe: Trudeau will have hell to pay in BC if he approves Kinder Morgan

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Recent Vancouver rally against Kinder Morgan (Photo: David Suzuki Foundation/Facebook)
Recent Vancouver rally against Kinder Morgan (Photo: David Suzuki Foundation/Facebook)
None should be in the slightest surprised at the anti-British Columbia stance of Justin Trudeau and the Liberals. As Talleyrand famously noted when, after the fall of Napoleon the Bourbons were restored, “they learned nothing and forgot nothing”.

Thus it is with the Liberals who, once safely back in power, turn their attention to repaying supporters, namely Ontario financiers and the oil industry, often the same people. This ancient Liberal policy never fails.

Whose interest?

This time Justin Trudeau has overstepped the mark and as Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson warns, if he approves the Kinder Morgan pipeline, “…you’ll see protests like you’ve never seen before …” His Worship is right. British Columbians know that the standard Ottawa patter that something is “in the interests of Canada” is ill-concealed code for “in the interests of Bay Street and whatever they’ve invested in or covet.”

The operative words are “the interests of Canada”. To Industry, they cover material interests only and no value whatever is placed on assets like mountains, rivers, lakes, forests for their own sake, wildlife, peaceful safe inlets, beautiful views, peace, quiet, tranquility, and so on. Why aren’t these things material Canadian assets too? They sure as hell are once they’re gone!

Enough is Enough

Don’t British Columbians have a real interest, say, in protecting their lakes and rivers from being industrially developed? Or Howe Sound, our gorgeous southernmost fjord? Or the Peace River? The list is endless.

Who is Justin Trudeau to say that letting industry make money on LNG tankers is more important than the safety of people and property where they sail?

British Columbians say, “enough is enough!” From here on, our values speak as loudly as those from the businessmen’s clubs of Bay Street and the nests of political party strategists.

We are inspired as never before by the bravery of the Kinder Morgan protesters. Their guts and steadfastness has inspired a province as you seem determined to discover.

The right to protect our province

The Constitution Act, 1982, clearly states in Section 92:
“In each Province the Legislature may exclusively make Laws in relation to Matters coming within the Classes of Subjects next hereinafter enumerated; that is to say,…13. Property and Civil Rights in the Province.”

We say to you, Mr. Trudeau, that for those words to have any meaning at all, they give us the right, the power and indeed obligation, to protect provincial assets, including all those assets so clearly threatened by Kinder Morgan and other fossil fuel undertakings proposed, notwithstanding the fact that the federal government approves them.

More than this, we have “right” on our side. It’s Kinder Morgan, and its ilk, who would disturb, threaten and harm our precious environment, our property and our homes.

We resolve that this will not be permitted to happen. If you approve Kinder Morgan, sir, there indeed will be hell to pay.

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About Rafe Mair

Rafe Mair, LL.B, LL.D (Hon) a B.C. MLA 1975 to 1981, was Minister of Environment from late 1978 through 1979. In 1981 he left politics for Talk Radio becoming recognized as one of B.C.'s pre-eminent journalists. An avid fly fisherman, he took a special interest in Atlantic salmon farms and private power projects as environmental calamities and became a powerful voice in opposition to them. Rafe is the co-founder of The Common Sense Canadian and writes a regular blog at rafeonline.com.

6 thoughts on “Rafe: Trudeau will have hell to pay in BC if he approves Kinder Morgan

  1. We need to stop spending money we need to stay home have food reserves we need to stop collecting money so when no one collect no one pays..THAT WILL MOT HAPPEN SO WHAT DO WE DO WITHOUT A STREET PROTEST SOMETHING THAT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT WHAT….THE RESULT AND THE ANSWER WILL HAPPEN WHEN EVERYTHING FALLS APARR

  2. Why does The Twerp need to start a new and different “bank” to finance his infrastructure moves? That’s why we have the Bank of Canada. Of course the Bank of Canada isn’t in the pockets of the private money-changers and usurers, could that be a hint?
    The best thing about The Twerp is also the worst thing about The Twerp; he’s not very smart. Cute, yes, if you like that kind of thing, ever-ready to leap into the spotlight, but far from an intellectual heavyweight. Or even middleweight. Maybe featherweight.
    He might take himself and his utterances seriously, but many do not.
    He’ll try some snake-oil salesman pitches, try to slide the pipelines through on an oleaginous stream of boyishly stammered utterances, but he’s going to run into a resistance which will make the “war in the woods” look like recess time at the daycare centre.
    I don’t usually take the proclamations of Mayor Moonbeam seriously, but this time, yes, he’s quite right.
    If The Twerp tries to impose pipelines and tankers he’s going to get the surprise of his life.
    We really have to stop electing these spoiled brat elitist uppercrust do-nothings and start to put some real people in office.
    Thank you, Rafe for your years of arse-kicking honesty.

    1. Good questions Anne. There is a lawsuit in the supreme court right now called COMER vs. Canada. I will supply a link to an interesting article about it.
      The working of the Bank of Canada, it seems were quietly changed without informing canadians in 1974 under Pierre Trudeau’s watch. This change is being challenged now as unconstitutional and illegal

      .http://rabble.ca/news/2015/06/money-matters-comer-v-canada

  3. All too true, Rafe, but it appears that Trudeau and crew don’t care about what we on the coast want or don’t want simply because we didn’t vote for him last year.

    Obviously he sees he can’t lose support but it amazes me that he proceeds with his pipeline scheme when there is an opportunity to gain support. The only place he can hope to gain support for pipelines is in Alberta and I wouldn’t hold my breath on that happening if I were him.

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