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People are entitled to their views, but that includes Albertans. And in Alberta, it’s not hard to imagine how a frustrated public, who are already distrustful of out-of-touch Liberals, will view the federal government nixing a proposed plan that would create and sustain thousands of jobs, even after that plan went through a long regulatory review and received approval after that independent, evidence-based analysis.

The Liberals are legitimately in a bind here — if largely of their own making.

Does this seem like something that’s likely to go over well?

The Liberals are legitimately in a bind here — if largely of their own making. They’ve talked a big game on carbon reductions and now find themselves with major economic and national unity problems in a part of the country where the primary industry emits a lot of carbon. Squaring that circle is hard. It would be hard for any government. It makes sense that the Liberals want to find a way out of this jam.

But there isn’t one. They can either allow the regulatory process to stand — honour the evidence- and rules-based systems they claim to cherish — or they can step in and say, “sorry, this doesn’t align with our interests and we’re killing the project.” The latter is a terrible idea, but it’s within their power. They can withhold approval.

What they simply cannot do, however, is expect to dampen any outrage at their abandonment of the legal process by offering up some sweet consolation prizes to Albertans. Alberta, under NDP and United Conservative governments, has made it clear that it doesn’t want extra help, it just wants Ottawa to abide by its own rules and allow Albertans to work in their industries. That’s not a lot to ask for, but it’s apparently more than Ottawa will easily grant. Whether it was TMX or Teck, these projects passed muster after brutal reviews — and then they went straight into political purgatory.