B.C.'s efforts to seek a larger portion of the oil pipeline pie do not serve the national interest, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney warned Tuesday.
Kenney, who met with the Times Colonist editorial board, said he does not support the provincial government's call for a larger share of the estimated $81 billion in tax revenue that would be generated if the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline is approved.
"I think taking a balkanized approach to the federation is unhelpful," Kenney said. "The notion that there are 10 separate fiefdoms and you have to tollgate everything you move from east to west would massively undermine the whole concept of an economic union and efficient operation of the Canadian economy," he said.
B.C. Environment Minister Terry Lake said Monday that B.C. should get "a fair share of the fiscal and economic benefits of the pipeline" because it will shoulder 100 per cent of marine oil spill risk and 58 per cent of land-based environmental risk.
The pipeline is under review by a federal panel. If approved, it will run from the Alberta oilsands to Kitimat, where bitumen will be loaded onto tankers and shipped to Asian markets.
Alberta Premier Alison Redford has rejected a bigger cut for B.C. The request would "fundamentally change confederation," she said Tuesday. "It's not how Canada has worked, it's not how Canada has succeeded, and I'm disappointed to hear the comments."
B.C. Premier Christy Clark repeated her government's demand for more money. "If Alberta doesn't sit down and talk about it, the project can't go ahead," she said.
Kenney said the pipeline would be of benefit to the entire country, not just B.C. and Alberta, because, over the lifetime of the project, hundreds of billions of dollars will flow to the federal government to support health care, pensions and social programs.
"I would encourage all parts of Canada to be mindful of our broader economic interest," he said.
B.C. gains from being Canada's primary exporter of raw products, but groups such as Prairie grain farmers have not asked for a cut of benefits their grain shipments bring to B.C. port workers, Kenney said.
"If we start getting into balkanizing the economic accounts of how the federation works, I think we are in a bad space," he said.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has spoken to both premiers about the pipeline "and will continue to have a constructive dialogue with them," Kenney said.
Original Article
Source: times colonist
Author: Judith Lavoie
Kenney, who met with the Times Colonist editorial board, said he does not support the provincial government's call for a larger share of the estimated $81 billion in tax revenue that would be generated if the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline is approved.
"I think taking a balkanized approach to the federation is unhelpful," Kenney said. "The notion that there are 10 separate fiefdoms and you have to tollgate everything you move from east to west would massively undermine the whole concept of an economic union and efficient operation of the Canadian economy," he said.
B.C. Environment Minister Terry Lake said Monday that B.C. should get "a fair share of the fiscal and economic benefits of the pipeline" because it will shoulder 100 per cent of marine oil spill risk and 58 per cent of land-based environmental risk.
The pipeline is under review by a federal panel. If approved, it will run from the Alberta oilsands to Kitimat, where bitumen will be loaded onto tankers and shipped to Asian markets.
Alberta Premier Alison Redford has rejected a bigger cut for B.C. The request would "fundamentally change confederation," she said Tuesday. "It's not how Canada has worked, it's not how Canada has succeeded, and I'm disappointed to hear the comments."
B.C. Premier Christy Clark repeated her government's demand for more money. "If Alberta doesn't sit down and talk about it, the project can't go ahead," she said.
Kenney said the pipeline would be of benefit to the entire country, not just B.C. and Alberta, because, over the lifetime of the project, hundreds of billions of dollars will flow to the federal government to support health care, pensions and social programs.
"I would encourage all parts of Canada to be mindful of our broader economic interest," he said.
B.C. gains from being Canada's primary exporter of raw products, but groups such as Prairie grain farmers have not asked for a cut of benefits their grain shipments bring to B.C. port workers, Kenney said.
"If we start getting into balkanizing the economic accounts of how the federation works, I think we are in a bad space," he said.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has spoken to both premiers about the pipeline "and will continue to have a constructive dialogue with them," Kenney said.
Original Article
Source: times colonist
Author: Judith Lavoie
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