David Eby owes everyone in British Columbia a very clear understanding. Where does he stand, and where does the NDP stand on this?
– Peter Milobar, MLA for Kamloops Centre, Conservative Official Opposition Finance Critic
VICTORIA, B.C.: The Conservative official opposition called out Premier David Eby over statements on CTV News on Sunday that he is open to having conversations about a new pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia’s Pacific coast, provided that the so-called “ oil tanker ban” stays in place.
Enacted in 2019 by the federal government, the ban prohibits oil tankers from docking, loading, or unloading at ports on British Columbia’s north coast, while tankers now regularly load and unload in Vancouver’s Burrard inlet and roughly 20 American tankers make the trip down the B.C. north coast every month.
“Is David Eby saying wants another pipeline coming into the lower mainland, down in the Burnaby area?” asked Peter Milobar, MLA for Kamloops Centre and Conservative Official Opposition Finance Critic. “Is he saying he wants another refinery in Burnaby, where they had mass protests during the expansion of the TransMountain Pipeline? It’s these types of things the Premier has to be clear about.”
“Two weeks ago, in the House, I said, ‘why does he not save everybody a heck of a lot of time and just admit that we need a northern pipeline, that we need the tanker ban removed, and save the next two weeks of theatre and just say he actually agrees with it?.’ But he keeps flip-flopping back and forth. Here we are, ten days later, and all of a sudden he’s starting to support the idea of a new pipeline. He needs to make up his mind.”
John Rustad’s Conservative Party of British Columbia and the Conservative caucus stand united in support of the memorandum of understanding between the Prime Minister of Canada and the Premier to Alberta, to expedite a new pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia’s north coast, and get Canadian resources to market.
“Why does David Eby want us to keep selling our oil to the Americans at a 20 to 30 per cent discount?” said Rustad. “Why does David Eby keep doing favours for Donald Trump?”
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Media Contact:
Ryan Painter
Communications
Ryan.Painter@leg.bc.ca
