Trudeau’s energy quagmire
Justin Trudeau flew back to Ottawa on Sunday to do what he does best: smile, shake hands and get his picture taken. What he didn’t do was clear a pathway for the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion, and deal with a gathering storm that’s shaking Confederation to its foundations.
The summit was a high-profile showdown between the prime minister and the two provincial leaders most closely associated with the pipeline, British Columbia Premier John Horgan and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley. Trudeau hoped to use this face-to-face meeting to resolve this contentious pipeline issue.
Horgan, however, remains unmoved. Apparently he heard nothing from the prime minister that would convince him to dismantle the intricate network of environmental and legal impediments his government has created on this cross-border project.
Disturbingly, this hastily-arranged meeting has unleashed a tsunami of petty provincialism.