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A former B.C. NDP president thinks there’s a clear path for the party to win the 2017 election. With indications that the ground is being laid by Ottawa, in concert with the Alberta and B.C. governments, for two controversial oil-pipeline projects in the province, Sav Dhaliwal says prospects are good for New Democrats.

“The way to do that would be to continue to show opposition to these two pipelines,” Dhaliwal, a long-time Burnaby councillor, told the Straight by phone, “and I believe they would be supported by the electorate in their decision.”

Dhaliwal was referring to Enbridge Inc.’s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline heading to the northwest coast and Kinder Morgan’s twinned Trans Mountain pipeline that leads to Burrard Inlet. Both are opposed by the B.C. NDP.

Alberta premier Rachel Notley supports the Trans Mountain expansion. Recently, she talked with members of Liberal prime minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet about the option of rerouting Northern Gateway to a different port in B.C.­—Prince Rupert instead of Kitimat.

Meanwhile, the federal Liberal government has refused to declare that Northern Gateway is dead, despite Trudeau’s election promise to establish a moratorium on crude-oil tanker traffic along B.C.’s northern coast.

Premier Christy Clark is thought to be amenable to heavy-oil pipelines if Alberta buys hydro power produced by the province. All these, according to Dhaliwal, provide the B.C. NDP an opportunity.

“There’s some ways to have ourselves weaned off fossil fuels and show a plan that will eventually have investments into alternative energies…,” Dhaliwal said. “and I believe that would be something [for] which people would like to see leadership.”