Would Trudeau do this to Quebec?: B.C. Green leader on Trans Mountain extension

Trudeau would never treat Quebec like this: B.C. Green leader on Trans Mountain spat

The leader of the B.C. Green Party is taking the Prime Minister to task over the constitutionality of backing the Trans Mountain Pipeline extension project.

“Can you imagine if the federal government treated Quebec the way it is treating British Columbia right now?” Andrew Weaver asked in a BNN interview on Monday.

“Mr. Trudeau’s going to end up suffering from this, because he’s actually overstepping his jurisdiction. He’s trying to impose his reckless promise on the will of the people of British Columbia.”

Trudeau called the premiers of both Alberta and B.C. to Ottawa on Sunday night in efforts to resolve the conflict between the two provinces over the flow of diluted bitumen from Alberta to the Pacific Ocean.

"We must recognize that they remain at an impasse, which only the government of Canada has the capacity and the authority to resolve," Trudeau told reporters after the meeting.

Former Syncrude exec: Time for Ottawa to step in on Trans Mountain spat Jim Carter, vice-chair of the ATB Financial board and former Syncrude Canada president and COO, joins BNN for his take on the Trans Mountain pipeline debate.

Former Syncrude chief operating officer Jim Carter told BNN on Thursday B.C.’s actions in opposing the project were the threat.

“If, indeed, a province can stop an adjacent province’s products from getting to market, then one has really got to question: Where’s the value on confederation, when it comes to working together on these things?” Carter told BNN.

Weaver said B.C. is merely asking the courts to review the decision, which is its right under the constitution.

“The province of British Columbia is simply asking – through its reference case – for the judicial system to rule on its constitutional rights,” he said.

“We live in a democracy. The purpose is not for Mr. Trudeau to say one thing, or Ms. Notley to say [an]other … That is why we take things to court, to let our courts decide who has jurisdictional responsibility here.”