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“We are all mere petty provincial politicians at present; perhaps, by and by, some of us will rise to the level of national statesmen,” said Sir John A. Macdonald, on the eve of Confederation.
In the absence of the intervention of the current Prime Minister in the debate over the Energy East pipeline, Alberta Premier Jim Prentice is making the case for Canada.
“It is very much a nation-building project,” he said in an interview. “In Alberta, we produce 2.85 million barrels of oil a day. Next year, it will be three million barrels a day. The oil is, inexorably, making its way to ports and we need to figure out how to maximize the economic advantage for Canada.”
Mr. Prentice met with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard Tuesday, and heads to Toronto to meet Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne Wednesday, as part of his campaign to convince central Canadians that the project to ship Western crude to the east coast will benefit the whole country. He pointed out the lack of access to world prices costs Canada more than $10-billion a year.
As part of his mission, the Alberta Premier visited Vancouver Monday, where he said Canada is an economic union, as well as a political union, based on the assumption that provinces should share the advantages of growth and development. “This has always been vital to our sense of common Canadian nationhood. Despite our divergent interests, we are all on the same team,” he said.
Mr. Prentice’s approach applies oil to relations with Quebec and Ontario, both of which have expressed concerns about the Energy East project. The Alberta Premier’s delivery is in stark contrast to the liberal amounts of vinegar splashed about by Brad Wall, the Saskatchewan Premier. He pointed out that, while Central Canada has complained about Energy East, it has been less perturbed by “Equalization East,” the transfer program of money from west to east.
The softly-softly approach taken by Mr. Prentice appears to be bearing fruit. After his meeting with the Quebec Premier, he said Mr. Couillard is a “devoted, passionate federalist, who wants a strong working relationship” with Alberta.
“Alberta is the largest producer of oil in the world that is landlocked. To take advantage of global markets, we need partners,” he said.
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