OTTAWA—Union leaders in British Columbia say they are bewildered and disappointed that federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh dialed back his support for natural gas projects that are expected to create thousands of jobs in the province.

Earlier this week, Singh said liquified natural gas (LNG) projects in northern B.C. no longer “satisfy” his criteria for major resource projects he can support. A party spokesperson confirmed to the Star that Singh was referring to LNG Canada’s planned export facility in Kitimat — a $40-billion project the Liberal government boasts as “the largest private sector investment” in Canadian history — and the Coastal GasLink pipeline project that is opposed by hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en nation.

The NDP leader believes more consultations are needed on the projects. He also wants Canada to stop using fossil fuels and “fracking,” a controversial method of extracting natural gas that is often condemned by environmentalists — and the method used in the region that will supply the gas for the pipeline and export facility.

Leaders of unions with thousands of jobs at stake in the projects—which have already been approved by governments and regulators—said Wednesday that they feel let down that Singh is backing away from his previous support.

“It hurts. There’s really no other way to explain it,” said Mark Olsen, president of the Local 1611 chapter of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, which expects 1,500 jobs for its members.

“We have the provincial NDP in B.C. supportive, and all of a sudden it appears we don’t have the federal NDP supportive,” Olsen told the Star by phone Wednesday.

“We’re not happy about it at all.”

Patrick Campbell, director of pipeline construction in Canada for the International Union of Operating Engineers, said he is confused and disappointed that Singh would withdraw his support for the 670-km Coastal GasLink pipeline, which is expected to create 2,000 to 2,500 jobs for members of his union and millions of dollars in economic activity in northern B.C.

“This is not only a province-building project, it’s what we would consider a nation-building project,” Campbell said.

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Singh indicated he supported both projects earlier this year. He told CTV in January that he supported the Coastal GasLink pipeline because consultations with Indigenous peoples “were done in a very meaningful way.” In February, he told The Canadian Press that the pipeline and export facility “demonstrated some clear, positive steps around consultation.”

During the recent byelection in the Vancouver Island riding island of Nanaimo-Ladysmith, the victorious Green Party argued Singh’s support for the LNG projects showed he approved of “fracking.” Green Leader Elizabeth May said her party is the only one that will oppose the practice in Canada.

Veteran New Democrat Svend Robinson called the Green win in the riding—held until January by the NDP—a “wake-up call” that shows the party needs to take a stronger and clearer stand on the environment and climate change.

Days later, Singh said on Parliament Hill that his party does not support “fracking” and that the NDP wants Canada to transition away from fossil fuels and invest heavily in renewable energy.

He also emphasized his enduring opposition to the government-owned Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, which would carry three times as much oilsands bitumen from Alberta to B.C.’s Lower Mainland, and increase oil tanker traffic off the west coast.

“If it spills it will devastate the entire coastline, threatening jobs, marine diversity ... This is terrible,” Singh said as he presented the NDP’s motion to call for a “climate emergency” in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

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Oslen, the president of the labourers’ union chapter, said the LNG projects Singh no longer supports will actually help reduce greenhouse gas emissions if China burns less coal because it buys natural gas—a lighter pollutant—from Canada. He added that his union has labour agreements for both projects that include provisions to hire Indigenous workers and maximize the number of workers that are Canadian.

“I don’t think it really has a practical basis to it,” he said of Singh’s rationale that more consultations are required. “I think the social license is clearly there.”

The Liberal government, meanwhile, pounced on Singh’s shift. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna accused him of “flip-flopping” on the projects, and said it’s “unfortunate” the federal NDP leader isn’t on the same page as the government in B.C., which she credited with having a robust climate plan that includes a long-standing price on carbon emissions.

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