Alberta NDP a punching bag – this time from B.C. Liberals

Share

Alberta's governing New Democrats found themselves in the crossfire on Tuesday as B.C. Premier Christy Clark used the prairie province as a cautionary example ahead of a 2017 election in which she will have to fight the NDP opposition on her own turf. Local observers say it is unlikely to be the last time NDP-run Alberta is used as a target.

While Alberta Premier Rachel Notley's lieutenants have deflected the criticism delivered in the B.C. Throne Speech – that the province had wasted economic opportunities – as barbs aimed at the former Progressive Conservative government, in private they admit electioneering may have more to do with it.

"Had the PCs done their job and not squandered our resources, and diversified the economy, comments like this probably wouldn't be coming forward," Alberta Economic Development Minister Deron Bilous said. "That is a fact."

According to Hamish Telford, the head of political science at the University of the Fraser Valley, Ms. Clark could face a difficult re-election bid in 2017– although it is too soon to tell, he admits. The Liberal Premier had promised the province a windfall from a liquefied natural gas boom when she was re-elected in 2013. The LNG industry has yet to materialize.

"Ms. Clark is a political animal by nature and her favourite target is bashing the NDP. Now that there's an NDP government in Alberta, that makes it an attractive target," Prof. Telford said. "As the B.C. election gets closer and Ms. Clark's anti-NDP rhetoric builds, there will be a lot of opportunities for Ms. Notley to take umbrage."

While the Alberta government says it has a good working relationship with Ms. Clark, Mr. Bilous' office could not point to a file on which they were in agreement. On the three major exchanges that have marked the relationship so far – electricity, pipelines and trade – the sides have more often been at odds.

While Ms. Notley has spoken in favour of a project to expand a pipeline from Edmonton to Vancouver, Ms. Clark's government has said it cannot support it.

When Ms. Clark offered Alberta access to hydroelectric power to help the province wean itself off coal, Ms. Notley sidestepped the offer. "It's an option," she told The Globe and Mail in December, but stated that her plan was for Alberta to produce enough power for Albertans and not to depend on another jurisdiction.

Only Weeks later, she appeared alongside the NDP Premier of Manitoba and signed an agreement to co-operate on energy. When asked about it, Ms. Notley said "it would be silly" not to have a conversation about building an electrical link with Manitoba.

With little support from Alberta, B.C.'s energy minister is now looking for money from the federal government to build a $1-billion power line to sell electricity to Alberta's deregulated power market.

Ms. Notley is also re-examining the New West Partnership trade agreement involving B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan. On Friday, her office could not say when the Premier would make a decision on continued membership.

Showing some irritation after the Throne Speech, Ms. Notley's communications manager in Calgary, Marcella Munro, commented on Wednesday via Twitter that B.C.'s government was love-struck and "can't stop talking about Alberta." She added "Hint: for Valentine's Day, a pipeline please."

After a backlash from Albertans to the Throne Speech, Ms. Clark repeated on Friday that Alberta, while being a cautionary tale of wasted opportunity, was also her province's best friend.

At a time when the B.C. Liberals have balanced the books and Alberta's government is expecting a deficit topping $6-billion, it is not the first time the B.C. Premier has pointed across the Rockies as a warning.

"It's really easy to just spend your way to prosperity, to spend your way to smiles, unicorns and rainbows when commodity prices are high, as they have learned in Alberta after decades of spending without a second thought," she said in mid-January.

With a report from Justine Hunter