Will the premier be affected by Shell putting off an investment decision for a planned LNG project?
Posted February 4, 2016 12:38 pm.
Last Updated February 4, 2016 2:59 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Thousands of people hoping to work on Shell’s LNG megaproject in Kitimat will have to wait a little longer to see if it goes ahead.
This comes as the company puts some its plans on hold around the world due to a significant drop in earnings.
The Kitimat decision is the latest blow for LNG in our province.
UBC political scientist David Moscrop says there’s no way to predict if people will place the blame on Premier Christy Clark come next year’s election, but says it could happen, given the focus on that industry in the last election campaign.
“People ought to be more forgiving,” says Moscrop. “They might understand that the premier doesn’t control the price of oil and natural gas worldwide, but they’ll still blame her for things that upset them. This happens all the time, so people ought to be more lenient when it comes to blaming politicians for things that are outside of their control — but they aren’t.
“They’re looking for someone to blame, whether that’s the party in government, or the premier during an election.”
If this latest development does have political consequences, Moscrop says the BC Liberals wouldn’t be the first party to get a rough ride due to economic factors outside of its control.
“This happens to almost every political party, at some point,” says Moscrop. “Everybody ends up being at the blunt end of an economic downturn that they couldn’t have possibly have foreseen or forestalled, but that’s the game.”
That said, Moscrop says given we still have a year before the next provincial vote, a lot could change, both economically and politically.
Premier Christy Clark is putting a positive spin on the situation, saying while it affects the original spring timeframe, she’s confident Shell will move forward with the project later in 2016.
“What I was pleased to see though, is that Shell has reconfirmed it’s intention to make a final investment decision this year, even these very uncertain times.”
She insists the LNG dream is not over.
NEWS 1130’s Martin MacMahon explains the details of some potential political implications:
