We won’t share oil royalties: Alberta Premier Alison Redford
Posted August 14, 2012 8:25 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Alberta Premier Alison Redford says she believes economic benefits should be spread across Canada, but she won’t share oil royalties with BC.
Speaking after a speech to the Canadian Bar Association conference in Vancouver, Redford, a human rights lawyer, says she hasn’t met with Premier Christy Clark since Clark rolled out five demands that were necessary before BC approved the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline.
Among them was the condition that BC get a larger share of the proposed economic benefits.
“We believe that it’s very important for economic benefits to be spread across the country and we don’t believe that fundamentally changing confederation to allow that to happen is appropriate,” says Redford. “So [we] wouldn’t entertain any discussion with respect to sharing of Alberta royalties.”
“We have every other premier across this country understanding the importance of an energy economy and understanding that it’s important for all Canadians that we do work together. We’ll continue to do that.”
Clark is on vacation and was not at the conference. Her staff says the next move on Northern Gateway is Alberta’s, and Redford and Clark are to travel to Asia together on a trade mission next month.
BC is to take in around $6-billion in revenue from the proposed $6-billion project, which would carry oil from Alberta’s oilsands to Kitimat. Alberta would receive an estimated $32-billion in tax revenue over 30 years, while the federal government would receive about $36-billion.
A joint review panel is still hearing submissions on the pipeline, which is opposed by many BC First Nations, environmentalists and the opposition NDP.
Ottawa has given the National Energy Board until the end of 2013 to submit its report and recommendation, and the federal cabinet is expected to make a decision on the pipeline by 2014.
