Open this photo in gallery:
Crude oil tankers docked at the Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby, B.C., in November. The Conservatives are calling for a vote that asks MPs to signal their support for a pipeline enabling the export of Alberta bitumen from a B.C. port.Jimmy Jeong/The Globe and Mail
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s effort to get the House of Commons to vote in support of a new oil pipeline appeared unlikely to pass after Liberals criticized his motion as a political stunt designed to divide.
The opposition motion had originally called on the House of Commons to take note of the new memorandum of understanding signed between the federal government and Alberta on Nov. 27, and in particular, declare its support for the pipeline, along with a lifting of the oil tanker ban, while respecting the duty to consultation with Indigenous Peoples.
The Conservatives had said the language directly reflected what’s in the deal between Ottawa and Alberta, but Liberal cabinet ministers said they didn’t agree.
Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson called the motion a “cynical ploy to divide us.”
“It’s a cheap political stunt, and so we will not be supporting the motion the Conservatives have put forward today,” he told reporters Tuesday morning.
More than half of Canadians support new pipeline from Alberta to B.C., Nanos poll finds
Mr. Hodgson, Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty and Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin accused the Conservatives of deliberately distorting the MOU by leaving most of its provisions out.
That includes giving British Columbia a role in pipeline talks, a new industrial carbon pricing approach, carbon capture and storage, methane regulations, and ensuring Indigenous communities economically benefit from the deal.
Mr. Poilievre accused the Liberals of looking for excuses to vote against a pipeline.
But, during the debate on his motion Tuesday, he proposed an amendment adding references to carbon capture and storage as well as the roles of B.C. and Indigenous Peoples.
“We are removing all the Liberal excuses because we know what the Prime Minister’s plan is,” Mr. Poilievre said.
“He wants to pretend that he supports a pipeline like the majority of Canadians just long enough to get through the next election.”
Open this photo in gallery:
Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, signs a memorandum of understanding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in Calgary in late November.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Liberal House Leader Steven MacKinnon said the amendment didn’t change his party’s position, calling the motion a “train wreck” that cannot pass Parliament.
Mr. MacKinnon said opposition motions that aren’t matters of confidence are not whipped votes, meaning MPs can vote as they wish.
But the motion would require significant Liberal support to pass, since both the NDP and Bloc Quebecois said they would not support it.
Interim NDP Leader Don Davies – who called the pipeline bad for the country – said the motion wasn’t serious from the beginning given the Conservatives’ mid-debate amendments, and amounted to a political game.
“We’re talking about a multibillion dollar issue that has incredible consequences for people across this country, and the fact that the Conservatives couldn’t get their own motion right I think says something about their motivations,” he said.
The energy deal won both Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith standing ovations in Alberta, but infuriated the B.C. government and First Nations who say they should have had input.
Toughest days for new pipeline still ahead, Miller says
Some Liberal MPs have also expressed discomfort with the deal, as it also lifts the oil and gas emissions cap, suspends clean electricity regulations and – for the pipeline project – provides for an exemption to the oil tanker ban.
One Liberal, Steven Guilbeault, quit his job as culture minister over the accord.
Mr. Poilievre had said Monday that it was important to have a vote on the pipeline because Liberal members must declare where they stand.
“Liberal members on one side of the country are saying they are against, while they are pretending in Alberta that they are in favour,” he said during Question Period.
“Why do they not stand up in the House of Commons, look Canadians in the eye, take one position, vote for a pipe to the Pacific and override the tanker ban?”
Earlier Tuesday, Liberal MP Corey Hogan said the motion is designed as a trap.
“There is a risk in voting yes and there is a risk in voting no,” he told reporters.
If the Liberals vote yes, it looks like the government is undermining the rights of Indigenous Peoples, conversations with B.C. and the rest of the environmental measures in the deal, he said.
“If we vote no, well, it’s designed to look like we don’t support the pipeline, and we do support the pipeline.”
