Reality Check: Liberal doublespeak on Kinder Morgan

Many British Columbians voted for the Liberals with the belief that they would not approve the Kinder Morgan pipeline under Stephen Harper’s broken review process.

After all, that is exactly what the Liberals promised them during the election.

In Esquimalt, BC on August 20, 2015 Justin Trudeau promised voters that ongoing pipeline reviews would have to be redone under stronger, more credible rules:

Dogwood Initiative: “Does your NEB overhaul apply to Kinder Morgan?”

Trudeau: “Yes, yes. It applies to existing projects, existing pipelines as well”

Dogwood: “OK. So if they approve Kinder Morgan in January, you’re saying…”

Trudeau: “No, they’re not going to approve it in January because we’re going to change the government and that process has to be redone.”

Youtube: Justin Trudeau on Kinder Morgan

Local Liberal candidates agreed:

Liberal MP Terry Beech (Burnaby North – Seymour) confirmed after the election on October 21, 2015 that “We are going to redo the National Energy Board process” and that “Kinder Morgan will have to go through a new, revised process.”

Burnaby Now: Burnaby’s newest MP says Liberals will redo NEB process

Liberal MP Jonathan Wilkinson (North Vancouver) proclaimed on his website even after the election that “a new, independent, evidence-based process must be established. The Kinder Morgan expansion project must satisfy this new rigorous review”

MP Website: Where I stand on Kinder Morgan (Since removed… But still available here)

It’s no wonder many British Columbians are so disappointed today that the Liberals approved the pipeline based on the very same broken process they promised to redo.

That’s not real change.