Last week, Alberta passed Bill12, a legislation that would allow the province to restrict the export of crude oil, natural gas, and refined fuels.
On Wednesday, B.C. Attorney General David Eby said the bill was unconstitutional, and threatened legal action if Alberta took advantage of its powers. And it looks like he is making good on this promise.
As of today, the BC NDP government is officially suing the Alberta NDP government.
The action was taken after the federal government refused to refer all legal matters between BC and Alberta to the Supreme Court of Canada.
The lawsuit contends that the new Act is meant to punish British Columbia, as a “significant disruption in the supply of gasoline, diesel, and crude oil from Alberta to British Columbia would cause British Columbia irreparable harm. In addition to economic harm, a sudden disruption in supply could injure human health and safety in remote communities”.
Alberta Premier responds
Earlier this week, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley opted out of attending the annual Western Premiers Conference in Yellowknife, choosing instead to stay in Alberta and work on finding a way to meet the deadline to build the pipeline.
With regards to the lawsuit, Notley contends that the action is premature as Bill 12 has not been implemented yet, and that BC is playing “legal rope-a-dope” in its efforts to delay the project.
“It’s very interesting on one hand they don’t want our oil and on the other hand they’re suing us to give them our oil,” she stated.
Back in April, Kinder Morgan put all pipeline-related work on pause, citing pressure from the BC government as the main cause. The company has given BC, Alberta, and the federal government until May 31st to resolve their disputes.
“I’m reasonably confident that we will meet the deadline,” said Notley in today’s conference.
