As western premiers meet in Yellowknife this morning to discuss pharmacare, infrastructure, justice and community safety, the dispute over Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline looms large.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley announced Monday afternoon she won't attend the Western Premiers Conference so she can focus on the pipeline deadline. Deputy premier Sarah Hoffman is attending in her place.
It would be surreal and exceptionally tone deaf for anyone to think we could politely discuss pharmacare and cannabis when one of the players is hard at work trying to choke the economic lifeblood of the province and the country. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ableg?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ableg</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bcpoli?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#bcpoli</a>
—@RachelNotleyAt a news conference in Edmonton on Tuesday, Notley cited national pharmacare as a topic that wouldn't make sense to discuss without resolving the pipeline issue.
"If we want to make sure Canadians get the medications they need, we need to be able to pay for it," Notley said. "So while they are at the premiers meeting talking about how they are spending that kind of money, I'll be in Alberta figuring out how we can earn that kind of money."
In April, Kinder Morgan suspended all non-essential spending on the $7.4-billion project over opposition from the B.C. government. It set a deadline of May 31 for assurances that there would not be further delays. Notley and B.C. Premier John Horgan have butted heads over the provinces' stances on the pipeline expansion.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, who has supported Notley in the pipeline dispute, said he doesn't judge her decision to skip the premiers meeting and stay in Alberta.
He noted he was one of three provincial environment ministers that walked out of talks on the federal climate change plan in 2016 after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced there would be a federal carbon tax if provinces and territories didn't come up with their own plans.
Saskatchewan is now the only jurisdiction in Canada that has not committed to the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.
"I understand her frustration with a province that is attempting to stall or to obstruct construction of a project that has, you know, great benefit to the economy of Canada, great benefit to provinces, in particular in Western Canada," Moe said.
The Saskatchewan premier said he is attending the conference to make sure other premiers understand the economic benefits of the project.
N.W.T. Premier Bob McLeod is chairing Wednesday's meeting and said the pipeline conflict won't hamper discussions.
"We have these meetings whether or not there's difficult issues to deal with, because if we had to wait to hold these meetings only when there's no issues … we'd never meet," he said.
Also attending the conference are premiers from B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nunavut, while Yukon deputy premier Ranj Pillai is attending on behalf of Premier Sandy Silver.
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