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A spokesman for Clark said the B.C. premier is on vacation. Redford’s appearance at the legal conference was booked in May, well before Clark sparked the dispute with a list of criteria for B.C.’s support for the pipeline proposed by Calgary-based Enbridge that included a greater share of royalties.

The B.C. Liberal leader underscored the demand by walking out of a discussion on a national energy strategy at the Council of the Federation meeting last month.

In a speech that made no direct mention of Northern Gateway or the simmering dispute between the two provinces, Redford championed a unified approach to Canada’s economic future, in what appeared to be a subtle rebuke of the B.C. position.

“We need to ensure that our actions are fiscally responsible and fair, not only to this generation but to those who follow and this means doing what’s right for the long term, and not the next election cycle.”

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Clark is set to go to the polls next May, in a province where the pipeline project has deeply divided the public.

The proposal by Enbridge would see twin pipelines deliver diluted bitumen over 1,170 kilometres from the oilsands in northern Alberta to a terminal to be built for tankers near Kitimat, B.C. A federal environmental review panel has until Dec. 31, 2013, to complete its review.

Asked after her speech how the impasse can be resolved if the two leaders do not meet, Redford said she was sure that at some point in the future the two will meet, but there are no plans for that as yet.