Article content

VICTORIA — When representatives of the liquefied natural gas industry approached the B.C. government seeking relief last winter, they presented the New Democrats with both an opportunity and a dilemma.

The opportunity was a go-ahead for the multibillion-dollar LNG Canada project, including construction of an export terminal in Kitimat and a pipeline linking the site to the natural gas fields in the Northeast.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Vaughn Palmer: Horgan paints framework picture to make LNG 'appealing' Back to video

The dilemma was that securing the investment would take greater tax and regulatory relief than the previous B.C. Liberal government had ever put on the table — and what that might entail in terms of a backlash against the New Democrats.

“They asked us what would the new government do with the LNG framework that existed from the previous government, one that we opposed in many measures,” Premier John Horgan told reporters this week. “And what will we be proposing, not just to LNG Canada, but to the industry, broadly.”