KweefyVille
Looks like one of Keef's latest offerings on the Twittmachine aims to rub some folks' noses in it by simultaneously calling back to....
...Himself.
So.
What did the Keef have to say back in January that we, the great unwashed need to read?
Well...
How about, this:
One of the more intriguing demands by those opposing the Site C dam is that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau step in and block its construction, using the argument that the dam infringes First Nations' rights and poses environmental risk.
The odds of the Trudeau government taking such an extraordinary action are, of course, fairly remote. But the root of the argument -- that the dam tramples on First Nations' rights -- remains very much alive even while the dam's construction proceeds every day.
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, a leading First Nations leader in B.C., has tried to make the case that only by killing the dam will the Trudeau government show it cares about First Nations. Other dam opponents -- notably environmental and aboriginal activists -- have echoed his demand.
But politically, the argument is a non-starter. There is no way a federal government will override a provincial government decision that is constitutionally protected (provinces have power over non-renewable natural resources, and section 92(a) of the Constitution Act specifically gives provinces power over electrical energy projects, which is precisely what the Site C dam is).
If Trudeau were to indeed try to shut down the dam's construction, he would create a constitutional firestorm that would mortify all provincial governments. Provinces always look askance (or worse) when a federal government tries to stick its nose in their constitutionally-protected business, whatever it might be...
Now.
Here's the thing.
The real issue at hand, as Laila and others have pointed out many times (and which we discussed here the other day) is entirely procedural in that any and all provincial decisions on Site C have been exempted from oversight by the province's own watchdog the BC Utilities Commission.
Therefore, on that basis alone, separate from any and all First Nations and constitutional issues, Mr. Trudeau could have and should have rejected the permits.
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Oh and, for the record...The Keef just waves away environmental concerns given because they don't concern the provincial government....Therefore, ipso facto Neener! Neener! Neener!...Or some such thing.
A very sharp Anon-O-Mouse on the comment threads the other day suggested that Mr. Trudeau may actually be betting that the courts, ruling on the First Nations issues, will ultimately get him off the hook on this one.
Previous Keef Reports can be found...Here (scroll down).
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8 comments:
On the other hand... the Libs are working to ensure the BCUC has new appointments to it's board....
http://www.brdo.gov.bc.ca/appsList.asp
Guy in Victoria
Guy--
Cronification for a BCL Nation!
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Wonder if Keef will retweet his opinion that the BC Liberals will never impose a foreign buyer real-estate tax because it would be political suicide?
Lew--
Interestingly, Keef has already revisionistically called that game/set/match, Clarklandians.
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Thanks for the link RossK but it is of no use to me since Keef blocked me from his Twitter feed some time ago despite the fact I never had any intention of following him in the first place.
I've learned that he and others like Rob Shaw at the Vancouver Sun do not possess the wit nor the integrity to engage in legitimate discourse regarding their journalistic efforts. I'd have some respect for them otherwise, but since they seem to have no respect for the duty they have to the public that comes with their chosen profession, I consider them mock-worthy.
Never mind, never mind, it's only the biggest misappropriation of public funds in our history---at least if you start in 1871 when the entire southeast part of Vancouver Island was awarded to well-connected wealth.
Site-C is even bigger than that for the evil precedent it sets.
Kill it before it kills our souls.
What! Kill a project that is "on time and on budget"? Much like Port Mann, South East Perimeter Road, RAV Line, Evergreen Line and the list goes on.
Its just that easy! When one doesn't know what the budget and time line are its very easy to change the goal posts.
It would be interesting to know how Site C contractor Morgan Environmental Construction's original contract compares to their final contract price. Apparently its not an 'iron-clad' contract?
Its unlikely we'll ever see this 'transparent' document.
institutionalized corruption?
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