Dear Editor:
A recent poll indicated that 50 per cent of Canadians oppose the expansion of the Kinder Morgan pipeline and the attendant increase in tanker traffic carrying Liquid Tar Sands (LTS) over the Salish Sea.
I would hazard a guess that the two politicians who should be most worried by this statistic would be Rachel Notley and Justin Trudeau.
In the case of Ms. Notley, she’s in a tough situation given a united right in her province. Her core or base support is likely on the left of the political spectrum, and she is likely alienating those folks with her tough talk and indifference to the environmental concerns that surround this project.
Mr. Trudeau would seem to have a better situation, but look closely. His high rating in popularity polls is likely based on the support of young voters and women.
Youth may think Mr. Trudeau charismatic, but when it comes election time next year, most of our youth won’t vote. Those young people who do will be engaged in the political process; they’ll genuinely care about issues. Young people who voted for Mr. Trudeau in 2015 will see the lack of meaningful environmental review of the Kinder Morgan expansion as one more failure to live up to a commitment he made.
Women in Canada may be impressed by Mr. Trudeau’s efforts to put his feminist ideals into practice. But women in Canada never vote in a block and they care about all the issues. I wonder if women aren’t even more likely to resent failures to live up to promises and commitments made in past.
I would guess that a high proportion of the 50 per cent of Canadians who oppose the expansion project voted for Mr. Trudeau in 2015 when he promised new and meaningful environmental review mechanisms. He failed to deliver on this.
That one failure may not be enough to change votes, but it’s not the only one. 2019 will be another “first past the post” election, and Mr. Trudeau will really need that 50 per cent of Canadians to support him if he wants to keep his job.
David W.G. Macdonald, Burnaby
