Christy Goes To Calgary - The Final Countown

FourThingsDoNotFive
MakeVille


So.

Our (not)Premier finally met with Alberta Premier Redford yesterday (Monday).

And nothing came of it according to a byline-free report from CBC News:

Alberta Premier Alison Redford met with B.C. Premier Christy Clark on Monday over the Northern Gateway oil pipeline project, and both women agreed the meeting was unproductive and “frosty.”

“Well, I'm an Albertan and when you talk about sharing Alberta's royalties with other jurisdictions, things tend to get a little bit frosty,” said Redford...



Of course our (not) Premier used the event to further fling her latest prop position that it is really (really, really, really!) all about the environment:

...“We’re about the environment and there is no price that can be put on protecting our environment in British Columbia — there is none,” said (BC's [not] Premier Christy) Clark on Monday.

“We’ve set out the conditions. We’ve said that we have to have the world’s best spill response on land and on the ocean. If we can get those — and if this passes the environmental review — then we can talk about the last one, the fifth. But, until we get those first three settled and done, this project can’t go ahead.”...

But, as you might have guessed, for Ms. Redford the environment  is a no-brainer (and not part of her purview as the pipeline crosses British Columbia):

...Redford, however, said that she agrees with Clark on the first four conditions, saying the project must lead on environment...

Which leaves, what, exactly?

Well, our (not) Premier, demanded five conditions be met - four of which were environmental*.

And that leaves the fifth which goes like this:

5. Fair share of the fiscal and economic benefits for B.C

Which means, if you take this codswallop at face value it really is all about the money.

****

Why fuss about this?

Two reasons....

#1 - Ms. Clark is now trying to portray her position as a mischaracterization by the Alberta 'media' (ie. who have had the temerity to suggest that it really is about the money).

#2 - I take none of this codswallop at face value. More specifically, it is my opinion that this is nothing more than a meaningless publicity stunt, in all of its aspects, designed to present a faux-front to low-info BC voters in an attempt to convince them that Ms. Clark is a tough negotiator out to protect 'their' interests.

OK?


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*And no, it did not escape our attention that, in the quote above,  Ms. Clark implied that three environmental points plus the money point makes five.... Of course, she left out all the treaty stuff, again outside Ms. Redford's purview as it pertains to British Columbia...Sheesh...
And, ya, I really do hate it when I'm on the same (non-cut-and-past-plagie) page as Mr. Smyth...Truffles, retinal-challenged snouty types, and all that I reckon...

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