Photo by Ezra Comeau-Jeffrey on UnsplashWhen there’s a million moving pieces in politics, just know Pierre Poilievre will add one more. Alberta finally got a promose of the pipeline it’s always wanted at the end of November. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith successfully signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). This is a document that commits the federal government to support Alberta in building a pipeline to the west coast. Unsurprisingly, the deal was followed by a significant amount of controversy. The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) showed a surprising amount of disappointment. To the point of putting forth a pointless motion.
Carney made it clear that he wants a pipeline built. Defending an ambiguous decision by claiming to secure the energy sector of Canada. But Poilievre simply doesn’t believe him. Naturally, he put forth a motion that was designed to fail.
Carney also called out Poilievre’s “political stunt.” But even then, Carney is nowhere near right. Increasing Canada’s energy sector is a good idea. It boosts the economy and drives more work. But relying on an industry that is almost at its boiling point is not a smart move. More so, the MOU signed doesn’t have “shovels in the ground” until 2029, making the whole project a huge gamble. If Carney wins another election, the project will, theoretically, continue onwards and create environmental problems. Things could dramatically change regardless of which government follows. This plan only began, barely, as a good thing.
Smith was seen as entirely overjoyed when the signing of the MOU was announced. But even Smith expressed commitments for considerations regarding British Columbia (B.C.), First Nation groups, and environmental goals. Even with these likely vapid goals, it was at least out in the open and on the table. But Poilievre just couldn’t keep out of it.
Even with Smith happy about the MOU, Poilievre made sure to cause more problems. The CPC put forth a motion to sharpen the language of the agreement. Claiming that the Liberal Party of Canada needs to “put up or shut up.” While the MOU isn’t a set-in-stone go ahead — shouldn’t Poilievre be happy? Apparently not.
It’s troubling to see that bad isn’t bad enough for the CPC. In many ways, Poilievre makes Smith out to be the good guy in this story. Made brutally clear by Poilievre saying he’d be willing to ignore Indigenous groups’ disapproval, and B.C.’s government having a say in his updated pipeline motion.
At the same time, Smith might want to stay quiet as she’s now facing a recall in her Brooks-Medicine Hat riding. She has probably decided to just take the win so as to not rock the boat anymore than it already has been. But in her place, Poilievre has stirred the pot in more ways than one.
Overall, this pipeline deal works for no one. A great deal of controversy also followed. Steven Guilbeault, the former environment minister, resigned from his cabinet position almost immediately after the MOU was signed. On top of that, Quebec faced a language controversy. Marc Miller took over Guilbeault’s position, and Miller faced controversy over claiming the French language was not in jeopardy. So now no one’s happy and no one’s winning. And ultimately this pipeline helps no one and harms everyone.
But ultimately, Poilievre seems to be the biggest loser here. Wasting his time, and parliament’s time, on a gotcha moment that didn’t pan out as he hoped.
