Bell: Smith ally Premier Scott Moe says he won't kiss Quebec's butt for a pipeline
Gotta share this story. It's gold. Well worth the price of admission.
It gives other Canadians the sense of the mood out here.
Gives other Canadians a feeling of where we're coming from.
Will drive the haters of the West crazy.
We're in downtown Calgary on Monday with an oilpatch crowd. Packed house.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe are on stage.
After a lot of oil and gas chatter, Smith tells us most Canadians now back oil and gas pipelines, including in Quebec.
There is acceptance for pipelines, even in Quebec.
'This is a moment in time. Things shifted dramatically six months ago. We certainly don't want to lose this opportunity,' she says.
Enter Premier Moe, who sings from a similar songsheet to Smith, most of the time.
He sees a somewhat different opportunity.
Now, with all due respect, Moe is not the most boisterous or smart-alecky politician on the planet but this day he is definitely in the mood to tell us what he really thinks.
And what he really thinks is what a lot of Albertans really think, along with some Canadians from elsewhere.
'I'm in violent disagreement with Danielle when it comes to lobbying Quebec for a pipeline.'
The crowd laughs.
'Whatever,' continues Moe.
The crowd laughs some more and Moe singles out Quebec and the need to build pipelines.
'Let's get this other one built. If they want one they can come get in line and we'll build them one when we get to it,' says Moe.
'I'm done with that conversation.'
Laughs. Then applause.
'Let's get one to the west coast. Let's get one to the south.'
Bell: With G7 in Alberta, Smith and Carney make headway on big energy projects
Bell: Smith to Carney — Wanted Now, a pipeline to Prince Rupert, B.C.
What is he really saying without saying it?
To hell with Quebec. There has been far too much talk about Quebec and will they or won't they accept an east-west pipeline going through their province.
Applause. More applause.
Smith takes a second. She obviously has to one-up her buddy Moe.
Besides, she doesn't want to be seen as soft toward Quebec.
'Well, if they had a new source of revenue we'd be more than happy to help them develop the royalty framework to wean them off the equalization that comes from western Canada,' says the Alberta premier.
Mic drop.
Applause. Cheers. A yahoo.
She hits a nerve. Who benefits the most from equalization? All together now. Quebec.
'Let's talk about equalization,' says Moe. The crowd laughs again.
In fact, Smith speaks again about the Liberals and their Nine Bad Laws and how some must be rewritten and some must be deep-sixed.
Both Smith and Moe speak about how Carney sounds a whole lot different than former prime minister Justin Trudeau.
On Monday at the G7 meeting in Kananaskis, it is clear Trump does not despise Carney the way he despised Trudeau.
Trump and Carney are working on a trade and security deal.
Speaking of deals, Smith calls the Nine Bad Laws investment killers.
The Alberta premier repeats her demands.
She wants a big-time rewrite of the No More Pipelines law and an end to the cap on oil and gas emissions.
If you want to produce more oil and gas you can't do it with that cap.
An end to the tanker ban off the west coast.
If Smith gets a bitumen pipeline to the west coast you need boats to take the bitumen to Asia.
The premier slams the net-zero vehicle mandate.
'We don't even have an electric vehicle industry in Canada,' she says.
Smith also goes after plastics being declared toxic.
'I think the federal government only did that because Trudeau wanted to announce a ban on plastic straws.'
The premier calls it 'bizarre.'
Moe thinks there is 'a path forward for a new prime minister within the same government to actually have a realistic look at all those policies.'
'How can we adjust things so we can attract reasonable investment into all of our energy-producing industries?'
The Saskatchewan premier is talking uranium, critical minerals, and yes, oil and gas.
Smith likes Moe's talk about using the Manitoba port of Churchill and going up to an Arctic port in Nunavut.
She and Moe talk about a corridor. Rail lines, electricity transmission lines, roads. The two premiers are thinking big.
Smith says she will work with Carney — at least for now.
If Carney ends up stabbing Smith and Alberta in the back, the premier will be at the head of a very long parade of outrage.
If Carney comes through, her approach will be vindicated.
She will then take a victory lap — or maybe an Indianapolis 500 worth of victory laps.
But nobody is close to counting the chickens before they hatch.
rbell@postmedia.com
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