Postmedia News reports, “B.C. New Democratic Party leader Adrian Dix is predicting a ‘businesslike’ relationship with Prime Minister Stephen Harper should he win next spring’s provincial election even though he’s investigating ways to challenge a critical component of Harper’s economic plan — Enbridge Inc.’s Northern Gateway pipeline megaproject.”
“Dix said Friday he’s assembling a legal team headed by Vancouver lawyer Murray Rankin, a specialist in aboriginal, natural resource and environment law, to consider his options to oppose the controversial $5.5-billion pipeline proposal now before a federal review panel.”
“Dix also is an outspoken critic of federal policy on criminal justice, Canadian-European free trade talks and health-care transfers. …Dix said the government’s unilateral reduction in the growth of health transfers, and support for a proposed Canadian-European trade deal that could trigger higher prescription drug prices, could cause problems in the provincial health-care system.”
“But he reserved his toughest words for the government’s handling of environmental reviews of two controversial natural resource projects: Calgary-based Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline and Vancouver-based Taseko’s New Prosperity gold-copper mine.”
“He said the world of federal-provincial relations has changed due to Harper’s refusal to hold first ministers’ meetings, the federal government’s view that Ottawa shouldn’t meddle in areas of provincial jurisdiction and Ottawa’s hands-off approach to provincial health-care systems.”
The Council of Canadians is also opposing the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline, the Canada-European Union free trade pact (and the drug patent provisions within it), the federal cuts to public health care spending, and the Prosperity Mine that would destroy the Fish Lake/ Teztan Biny watershed.
Our 2012 annual general meeting will take place in Nanaimo, BC, in October, just months prior to the provincial election in May.
The full article is at http://www.ottawacitizen.com/touch/technology/leader+predicts+businesslike+relations+with+Ottawa/6608787/story.html?rel=835859.
