Re On Energy, PM Needs To Lead With His Head, Not Heart (Sept. 7): Any attempt by Justin Trudeau’s government to bludgeon the Kinder Morgan and Energy East pipeline projects through the thickets of constitutional, legal, political, economic and environmental challenges would be both futile and politically costly. Attempts to do precisely that with Northern Gateway were significant factors in the demise of Stephen Harper’s government.
The succession of pipeline projects intended to move bitumen to tidewater raise fundamental questions about Canada’s future energy, economic and environmental pathways, and its ability to fulfill its international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Until the federal government establishes a process capable of grappling with those issues, any decisions that emerge are going to fail the legitimacy test, and lead to greater, not less, legal and political conflict.
Yours sincerely,
Mark Winfield
Professor