Burnaby Mountain Kinder Morgan protests: Should B.C. government, NDP opposition speak up?
Political insiders weigh in on the provincial response to Kinder Morgan's expansion of TransMountain pipeline
The B.C. government and NDP Opposition have both stayed quiet as more than 50 people have been arrested on Burnaby Mountain, protesting the proposed expansion of the Kinder Morgan TransMountain pipeline.
- 11-year-old girls cross police line at Kinder Morgan protests
- Kinder Morgan protests: More protesters arrested as test drilling starts
- FULL COVERAGE Kinder Morgan
On Monday, The Early Edition's Political Insiders weighed in on whether it's time for provincial leaders to take a stance.
Moe Sihota: 'They can't stay silent forever'
"I think there's a legitimate place for both the provincial NDP and the provincial Liberals to start saying to the federal government, like Ontario and Quebec have done, that if you want to proceed with these projects, you have to change the mandate of the NEB."
"It's not the right thing to stick your head in the oil and tar sands, and that's exactly what Christy Clark is doing in this situation."
"You have three provinces speaking out on these matters, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec, and you have B.C. with the premier of this province, being absolutely silent, she has not said a word."
Brad Zubyk: 'The process is not in our backyard'
"There is a process, there's been intervenors, there's a decision-making model in play. I'm not sure the province, or quite frankly the Opposition, should be playing politics with this."
"You say the premier's been very quiet. [B.C. NDP leader John] Horgan's been very quiet. I think for good reason. I think it's a responsible thing to do. I think you let the process play out."
"How do you expect investors to give B.C. a second look, if at the end of the day it's going to take forever because you suggest we need new processes, the current process is not good enough."
Moe Sihota is a former cabinet minister for the B.C. NDP, and Brad Zubyk is a political consultant and supporter of the B.C. Liberals. The Political Insiders can be heard on CBC Radio's The Early Edition every Monday at 7:40 a.m. PT in Vancouver.
