Critics of Kinder Morgan pipeline shout down Trudeau at B.C. town hall

The town hall was often raucous.

The prime minister faced a mix of cheers and boos on his arrival. When he spoke about the pipeline, he was repeatedly interrupted, causing him to show his frustration at one point by exclaiming: “Come on! Come on! Really?”

“If you can’t respect the people in this room, you need to leave,” he said before asking the police to remove those who were disrupting the event.

Police physically removed a man and two women as someone else shouted: “Shame on you Trudeau.”

Trudeau spoke to an overflow crowd estimated by officials at 1,700 people in the gymnasium at Vancouver Island University, while dozens of protesters carried anti-pipeline placards outside. One man held up a sign throughout the town hall that read: “Climate leaders don’t build pipelines.”

The final town hall of his cross-country tour started almost an hour late because of travel delays caused by weather, officials said. So many people wanted to attend the event that organizers were shifting seating in the gym at the last minute to make room.

While the many questions centred on the pipeline issue, Trudeau ended up fielding about 20 questions, ranging from the opioid crisis to fish farm policy to how Canadian children are taught about residential schools in classrooms.

“I had tears in my eyes at the end of it,” said Nanaimo resident Deborah Haight.

She said she opposes the pipeline, but she was not happy about the reception Trudeau received.

“I just felt we could give have given him a little bit more respect,” Haight said.

B.C. announced proposals earlier this week that would ban increased shipments of diluted bitumen off its coast until it can determine that shippers are prepared and able to properly clean up a spill.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley has called that an unconstitutional attempt to get around federal approval of the Kinder Morgan project, which would triple the capacity of the pipeline and increase the number of tankers in Georgia Strait from five to 34 per month.

Notley promised to suspend electricity talks with the province in its first step to fight against the B.C. government’s proposal. Up to $500 million annually for B.C.’s coffers hangs in the balance, Notley said.

B.C. Premier John Horgan said earlier this week his government consulted Alberta and Ottawa about his province’s intentions, which includes appointing a scientific advisory panel to study the issue.

On Friday, he said the provincial government’s move was not intended to be provocative.

“We are not putting in place regulations today, we are not putting in regulations at the end of the month. We are putting in place a consultation and an intentions paper so that the public has an understanding of the potential impact of a catastrophic spill within British Columbia.”

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Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Critics of Kinder Morgan pipeline shout down Trudeau at B.C. town hall

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