The leader of BC's Green Party is calling for politicians to hold themselves to a higher standard of facts and evidence when it comes to discussing Trans Mountain pipeline.
Weaver is accusing the Liberal MLAs for Abbotsford West and Chilliwack-Hope of "fear-mongering" for implying in the House their communities would be at risk of a Lac-Mégantic-style disaster if bitumen is shipped by rail should the Trans Mountain pipeline does not go through. Weaver points out that tragedy involved highly combustible Bakken crude, not heated bitumen or undiluted heavy crude.
He also accuses Alberta Premier Rachel Notley of engaging in her own fear-mongering by alleging BC's opposition amounts to a 'constitutional crisis'. The Green leader says throwing such "inflammatory terms around" when B.C. is simply trying to consult and seek scientific facts about a substance that poses significant risk to our communities and economy is irresponsible on her part.
“The risk of Trans Mountain lies in the way diluted bitumen behaves in an ocean spill. Studies using suspended particulate matter, which characterizes the water off B.C.’s coast, suggest that bitumen would in fact either form tar balls or sink. There is not sufficient scientific evidence on whether such a spill could be cleaned up.
Weaver adds the Prime Minister has acknowledged the NEB process that saw the project approved was flawed, but failed to subject it to a revised assessment process, something he promised to do.
Weaver, who was an intervener in those NEB hearings, says the hearings were woefully inadequate in terms of facts and evidence, including spill response being predicated on calm conditions and 20 hours' worth of sunlight in a single day.
He says it's unacceptable, and ample evidence suggests that Mr. Trudeau and Ms. Notley's attempt to strong arm B.C. into rolling over for the project is because of politics, not evidence.