Jason Kenney may reveal today if his government is ready to turn off the taps on oil shipments bound for B.C.
Kenney promised to proclaim Bill 12 once he was sworn in, and he confirmed it an op-ed he wrote for a Vancouver newspaper.
Kenney says he won't restrict oil and gas shipments to British Columbia just yet, but he wants to show his government is serious about defending the economic interests of his province.
In the opinion piece addressed to British Columbians in the Vancouver Sun on Tuesday night, Kenney said Bill 12 was proclaimed into law during the government's first cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
The bill was introduced by the NDP and was given royal assent last year but had not yet been proclaimed.
“We will keep our electoral commitment to proclaim Bill 12,” Kenney said. “But I’ve been clear it’s not our intention to reduce shipments or turn off the tap, we simply want to demonstrate our government is serious about protecting the vital interest of Alberta.”
B.C.'s attorney general says the province is ready to challenge the bill in court. Kenney and his energy minister are holding a news conference Wednesday morning to discuss the bill.
