The Doug Ford Doctrine: 'We really have to flex our muscles'
Article content
Ford is also effusive about the need to get rid of the tanker ban on the West Coast and revamp the impact assessment act. 'Those days are done. They're gone,' he says. 'We have to start moving forward and create the conditions for the rest of the world to look at investing in not just Ontario but other jurisdictions across Canada, from coast to coast to coast.'
Article content
I moved from Ontario to Alberta in the early 1980s — a time when Alberta premier Peter Lougheed was struggling with prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau's National Energy Program — and can still recall the bitter disappointment of Ontario premier Bill Davis's unwillingness to support Alberta's interests.
Article content
I admit to being impressed by Ford's visit to the recently concluded Calgary Stampede, and not just by his commitment to flip pancakes alongside Smith, whose griddle experience is legendary. Ontario's premier also inked two MOUs with Alberta, to advance freer trade between the provinces and publicly endorse mutually beneficial national-interest projects, including an oil pipeline from Alberta to Ontario (fabricated with Ontario steel).
Article content
Article content
Although Ford's not sure if Carney will be specific about the nation-building projects selected to move forward, in the upcoming discussions around the table in Muskoka, he's optimistic provincial leaders — and their constituents — recognize this unique opportunity to move forward on national infrastructure projects.
Article content
'We're moving forward and we're going to see another $200 billion going into our economy, increase our GDP anywhere upwards to six per cent,' Ford says.
Article content
He expects his fellow premiers will have to hop on this train. 'The residents of each province are going to demand that they get on that train as we're moving forward,' he says, 'because they want to prosper as well.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Observer
9 hours ago
- National Observer
Carney strides into Northern Gateway minefield
Prime Minister Mark Carney set off alarm bells across British Columbia when he told a journalist at the Calgary Stampede that a new bitumen pipeline to BC's north coast is 'highly, highly likely.' Nowhere have those bells been ringing more strongly than in the dozens of First Nations communities who spent a decade fighting the Northern Gateway pipeline proposal. 'Our position hasn't changed,' Marilyn Slett, chief of the Heiltsuk Nation and president of the nine-member Coastal First Nations Great Bear Initiative, told Canada's National Observer. 'An oil pipeline and tankers is something that we cannot support.' The proposal is perhaps the starkest example of a central tension stemming from Carney's signature legislation, Bill C-5 — that appropriate consultation with First Nations is incompatible with the time scales being put forth. That, in turn, sets up the question hanging over the whole country: What will Carney do if a project he strongly favours fails to win Indigenous support? 'Consent shouldn't be an option,' said Terry Teegee, chief of the BC Assembly of First Nations. Back in the Northern Gateway years (the pipeline was proposed in 2006 and cancelled in 2016), Teegee was chief of the eight-nation Carrier Sekani Tribal Group; the proposed pipeline route went straight through their territory in the centre of BC, and was opposed by all of them. 'Those First Nations haven't changed their mind either,' he said. None of the Indigenous leaders contacted for this article have heard anything about a new pipeline directly from the federal government, and the subject did not come up during Carney's meeting with First Nations from around the country in Gatineau last week. But a government source recently confirmed to Canada's National Observer that a Northern Gateway-style pipeline to BC's north coast is indeed likely to make the list of 'major projects' to be streamlined under Bill C-5. If history is any guide, it's hard to overstate the scale of opposition and public outrage such a decision would provoke in BC. Nine years after it ended, the Northern Gateway saga has faded from many Canadians' minds; a global pandemic and two Trump administrations have eclipsed it in our collective memory. But few projects in Canadian history have generated such intense blowback. Its blatant disregard of First Nations rights and protection of an iconic Canadian landscape united two of the most powerful protest blocs in the country; protests convulsed BC for years on end, generated endless terrible headlines, and consumed an enormous amount of the Harper government's time, energy and political capital. The Conservatives lost every one of the nine West Coast ridings they won in 2011. It also contributed significantly to the distrust of government among First Nations that Carney is reigniting today. Prime Minister Mark Carney set off alarm bells across British Columbia when he told a journalist at the Calgary Stampede that a new bitumen pipeline to BC's north coast is 'highly, highly likely.' Rewriting history Whether he realizes it or not, Carney is tiptoeing straight into the same political minefield Harper trudged through a decade ago. Many see his soft embrace of it as a concession to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, whose demands for such a pipeline have ramped up dramatically in recent months. 'The whole purpose of the exercise we're going through is to expand to new markets,' Smith told CBC on July 2, referring to Bill C-5. 'The best opportunity is in expanding to the West Coast.' In Smith's telling, Northern Gateway was well-received by Indigenous communities and the only reason it failed was that Justin Trudeau decided to cancel the project. 'There could have been a pathway to 'yes,' and he chose the opposite approach,' she said in that interview. According to her, 'Northern Gateway actually showed a pathway where you could have Indigenous ownership. I think there were 35 Indigenous leaders who were very enthusiastic about it. So I would hope we could enter into some kind of process where we would have a similarly positive outcome.' That's a dramatic rewriting of history. Enbridge did sign financial agreements with an undisclosed number of First Nations in return for their support of Northern Gateway, but the names of those nations were never publicly released. Meanwhile, more than 130 First Nations publicly opposed the project. Among them were the nine coastal First Nations represented by Chief Slett – it was their court challenge that led the federal court to overturn the project's approval. Justin Trudeau decided against appealing that decision, and formally cancelled the project instead. Reviving it today runs a powerful risk of reigniting the same opposition, both in the courts and on the streets. Even if Carney and Smith find a number of First Nations to support it, the inevitable opposition of a far greater number of First Nations would be political kryptonite for a government whose relationship with First Nations is already under huge strain. 'It's not going to be the path that they envision,' Slett said. Oil versus gas Phil Germuth is the mayor of Kitimat, the same terminus where Northern Gateway was originally proposed. He was a city councillor and staunch opponent of Northern Gateway 10 years ago; today, he's delighted by all the LNG traffic coming through Douglas Channel. Earlier this month, LNG Canada began its first shipment of liquefied natural gas out of Kitimat; several more LNG projects are coming online in the coming years. Germuth remains extremely wary of transporting bitumen through the same waters. 'They're two completely different projects when it comes to the potential environmental impacts,' he told Canada's National Observer. 'If you're proposing Northern Gateway the way it originally was, I think there would just be so much opposition.' By 2030, Slett expects to see 600 LNG tankers ply her territorial waters and those of her fellow coastal nations every year. She and others have made their peace with that — and think this sacrifice — not a small one, should be enough. 'British Columbia is doing their part in terms of national interest projects with these LNG projects,' she said. Plus, oil is far more dangerous to transport than natural gas, Slett pointed out. 'There is no technology that exists that could sufficiently clean up any oil spill in these deep waters and along the narrow rocky coastlines,' she said. 'We're not going to bear the risk of an oil spill in our waters.' While opposition to transporting bitumen along the north coast hasn't changed in the last 10 years, other things have. One of them is the creation of a huge new marine protected area known as the Great Bear Sea. This is one of the largest conservation projects of its kind on Earth, encompassing 10 million hectares off the north and central coast of British Columbia. Last year, the federal government gave $200 million to kickstart the initiative, which is led by 17 First Nations, including all the ones that defeated Northern Gateway in court 10 years ago. When Trudeau decided not to appeal that loss, he passed Bill C-48 banning oil tanker traffic from the region. Federal Conservatives, multiple Alberta premiers, and Enbridge have all been calling for that ban to be repealed ever since, as a precondition for reviving Northern Gateway. If that happens, it would almost certainly be a sign that a new pipeline battle is coming next. Transport Canada, under whose jurisdiction the tanker ban falls, did not reply to a request for comment on the future of C-48. Neither did the environment ministry. The question, then, is whether Carney appreciates the situation's flammability. According to BC AFN Chief Teegee, the prime minister promised First Nations chiefs in Gatineau that no projects would be approved without Indigenous consent. If he holds true to his word, he'll undoubtedly enrage Danielle Smith and the federal Conservatives. But now that Bill C-5 is law, they no longer have the power to kill the prime minister's signature legislation. The people who can are First Nations.
Global News
9 hours ago
- Global News
Canadian leaders descend upon Ontario cottage country for high stakes meetings
Ontario's cottage country is set to become the centre of Canadian power for three days beginning Monday, as leaders from across the country descend on Huntsville, Ont., for high-stakes meetings. The Council of the Federation, which includes all of the country's 13 premiers, will meet in the small town to discuss trade, energy, immigration and U.S.-Canada relations, among other topics. Prime Minister Mark Carney will be in Huntsville for a separate meeting with provincial leaders on Tuesday. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who will chair his last meeting as the head of the group this week, selected the rural setting, close to his own cottage, to show off what his team believes is the best of the province. 'As the Chair of the Council of the Federation, it's never been a more important time to welcome my fellow Premiers to Ontario to continue the work we've done over the past year to protect Canada and our economy,' Ford said in a statement ahead of the event. Story continues below advertisement 'This meeting will be an opportunity to work together on how to respond to President Trump's latest threat and how we can unleash the full potential of Canada's economy.' Ford welcomes country's leaders to cottage country The summer meeting of the Council of the Federation offers Premier Ford an opportunity to show off his province as he lets go of his role at the head of the group. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy A senior government source, speaking on background, said the annual meeting had a sense of 'friendly competition,' as hosts try to dazzle other leaders with the best of their province. Ford owns a cottage near Huntsville, set on the beautiful waterfront of a rural area. The source said the premier will host an intimate dinner there for leaders and their immediate family on Monday evening, the night before the event kicks off in earnest. Story continues below advertisement On Tuesday, Carney will take part in a meeting with the country's first ministers. The Ontario source said the premier's office expects that meeting to involve a briefing on Canada-U.S. trade negotiations and an early outline of how different governments will work together if 35 per cent tariffs hit. Then, Carney will depart, and the country's premiers will convene for a working lunch, attended by two former ambassadors. The conversations are expected to focus on U.S. trade relations, with an update on wildfire responses. During the evening, Ford will host a gala for provincial leaders, business and health care stakeholders, as well as Indigenous representatives. Ontario's Lieutenant Governor will also offer opening remarks at the evening reception. More MOUs and other meetings On Wednesday, the premiers will meet again — this time to discuss public safety and bail reform, as well as health care. The meeting will end with a news conference. Story continues below advertisement At the peripheries of the premiers' official itinerary, other meetings will also take place. Nursing stakeholders will take part in one early meeting, while Indigenous leaders will meet with premiers for discussions, too. Ontario, the source said, also plans to unveil new memoranda of understanding with provinces. They include new agreements to explore and advocate for pipelines, as well as promises to reduce internal trade barriers. The Council of the Federation has taken on increased significance in the face of tariffs and threats from the United States. The table allows the leaders of the country's various provinces and territories to find areas of agreement both on national projects and, most recently, on internal trade. Led by Ford and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, many provinces have introduced legislative and regulatory changes to reduce trade barriers between provinces. Moves to harmonize labour rights, safety standards and alcohol sales have all been introduced to make it easier to trade between provinces and attempt to reduce Canada's reliance on the United States. Recently, Ford has also joined Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in asking for new national pipelines to be built, framing the issue as one of national security.
Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Calgary Herald
Kennedy-Glans: The Doug Ford Doctrine: 'We really have to flex our muscles'
Article content Ford is also effusive about the need to get rid of the tanker ban on the West Coast and revamp the impact assessment act. 'Those days are done. They're gone,' he says. 'We have to start moving forward and create the conditions for the rest of the world to look at investing in not just Ontario but other jurisdictions across Canada, from coast to coast to coast.' Article content I moved from Ontario to Alberta in the early 1980s — a time when Alberta premier Peter Lougheed was struggling with prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau's National Energy Program — and can still recall the bitter disappointment of Ontario premier Bill Davis's unwillingness to support Alberta's interests. Article content I admit to being impressed by Ford's visit to the recently concluded Calgary Stampede, and not just by his commitment to flip pancakes alongside Smith, whose griddle experience is legendary. Ontario's premier also inked two MOUs with Alberta, to advance freer trade between the provinces and publicly endorse mutually beneficial national-interest projects, including an oil pipeline from Alberta to Ontario (fabricated with Ontario steel). Article content Article content Although Ford's not sure if Carney will be specific about the nation-building projects selected to move forward, in the upcoming discussions around the table in Muskoka, he's optimistic provincial leaders — and their constituents — recognize this unique opportunity to move forward on national infrastructure projects. Article content 'We're moving forward and we're going to see another $200 billion going into our economy, increase our GDP anywhere upwards to six per cent,' Ford says. Article content He expects his fellow premiers will have to hop on this train. 'The residents of each province are going to demand that they get on that train as we're moving forward,' he says, 'because they want to prosper as well.'
