July 10th, 2018
5 Things You Need to Know About the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline
1) In May of 2018, despite strong opposition from First Nations, local communities, scientists, and environmentalists, Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government spent $4.5 billion of public dollars to purchase the Trans Mountain Pipeline.
2) The Trans Mountain Pipeline is owned by Texas-based oil company Kinder Morgan. This means that our $4.5 billion purchase will fill the pockets of a US company rather than stay in the hands of Canadians. Kinder Morgan is estimated to gain a 637% return on the sale of its pipeline to the Canadian government.
3) Our national deficit could increase 36% because of the purchase of the Trans Mountain Pipeline when we include additional planning and construction costs. This means our projected deficit of $18.1 billion in 2019 will increase to $24.6 billion as a result of Trudeau's decision to buy the Pipeline without consulting Canadians.
4) By shutting out First Nations communities who oppose the pipeline, the Liberal government is completely disregarding Canada's obligation under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Our responsibility under UNDRIP is to ensure “free, prior and informed consent” from Indigenous peoples for any project affecting their lands, territories, or other resources – as a pipeline would.
5) The Trans Mountain Pipeline will increase greenhouse gas emissions and make it impossible to meet Canada's global climate targets. With the inevitability of bitumen oil spills, the pipeline will undoubtably put our coastlines, waterways, and wildlife at serious risk. Thousands of good quality jobs in Canada’s marine and tourism industry are also at risk.
The NDP strongly opposes the purchase and expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline.
Instead of spending billions of public dollars on increasingly obsolete infrastructure and fossil fuel subsidies, the NDP would invest in clean, renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and other energy efficient technologies that would create hundreds of good quality, long-term jobs for today's Canadian workers and the next generation.
The NDP would put workers at the heart of Canada's transition to a clean energy economy. We will ensure that no Canadian has to choose between a good job and a healthy environment.