It couldn鈥檛 have gone better for Alberta Premier Alison Redford if she鈥檇 planned it. Which she didn鈥檛.
The bizarre on-again, off-again, on-again nature of the meeting with B.C. Premier Christy Clark on Tuesday managed to inject some drama into what was likely going to be a run-of-the-mill discussion.
Not the drama of a Toronto mayor admitting he had smoked crack cocaine, mind you, nor the drama of Canada鈥檚 Senate suspending three members. But it had a drama all its own that caught the news media鈥檚 attention.
If Redford had simply gone to 91原创, met with Clark and announced a 鈥渇ramework agreement,鈥� the meeting would have been seen as a bit of a yawn. But everything became more interesting when Redford, already in 91原创, suddenly cancelled the meeting and issued a news release complaining that 鈥淏.C. is seeking to negotiate additional benefits.鈥�
Based on pre-meeting talks involving senior officials from both provinces, Redford thought she was about to be backed into a corner by Clark, who wanted Alberta鈥檚 help negotiating some kind of financial deal with Enbridge, owner of the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline.
Redford had said all along that if B.C. wanted to negotiate a deal with pipeline companies, B.C. would have to do it on its own. It wasn鈥檛 her job to get involved.
That鈥檚 why Redford cancelled the meeting.
Smelling blood in the water, reporters began circling. And then the story got more interesting when a little more than 12 hours later, the two premiers announced they in fact had met and had reached an agreement.
So what did they manage to achieve? In a practical sense, not much. Despite talk of a 鈥減ipeline deal,鈥� there is no deal. They have worked out a 鈥渇ramework agreement鈥� to move energy resources to new markets. It鈥檚 an agreement to work toward a deal. But even that鈥檚 misleading, because B.C. and Alberta can鈥檛 approve a trans-border pipeline. That can only be done by the federal cabinet.
Nevertheless, if anybody emerged a winner on Tuesday, it was Redford. Clark has agreed to be part of Redford鈥檚 91原创 Energy Strategy. Given that the strategy remains something ill-defined, it鈥檚 largely a symbolic victory, but Redford can at least say B.C. is onside.
And Redford gave up nothing. By agreeing to B.C.鈥檚 five conditions for a new pipeline, Redford is merely saying she agrees with B.C.鈥檚 right to protect its environment, consult with First Nations and negotiate with private pipeline companies. To top it off, B.C. has clearly said it is not asking for a share of Alberta鈥檚 royalties or taxes.
So given that B.C. doesn鈥檛 have the final say on approving a pipeline and given that Redford is agreeing to conditions that don鈥檛 affect Alberta, why did she bother with this at all?
Well, in the words of one Alberta official: 鈥淚t gets B.C. off our backs.鈥�
For the past year, B.C. has been acting as if the Northern Gateway pipeline is being built by the Alberta government, not the private company Enbridge. If nothing else, the new framework agreement makes it clear B.C. understands that when it comes to discussing its five conditions, it should be talking to Enbridge or the federal government or First Nations. Not Alberta.
Alberta simply wants to talk to B.C. about their common goal of 鈥渕oving energy resources to new markets.鈥� It鈥檚 a goal as warm and fuzzy and ill-defined as the 91原创 Energy Strategy.
Redford is all smiles for another reason. The drama surrounding Tuesday鈥檚 on-again, off-again meeting was good news personally for Redford.
It showed that she鈥檚 not easily bluffed or bullied. Instead of bending to B.C.鈥檚 demands or even trying to negotiate a compromise, she was prepared to cancel the meeting and suffer a public relations embarrassment.
Redford knew that if she agreed to help B.C. negotiate a financial deal with oil companies on Northern Gateway, other provinces would want similar favours on the Energy East pipeline.
Redford held firm and got an agreement that was a hailed as a political victory, and it cost her nothing.
Tuesday鈥檚 framework agreement might not clear the way for Northern Gateway, but it will make it easier for the federal cabinet to give the green light.
And it means Redford can go to Washington, D.C., next week to lobby for the Keystone XL pipeline with a weight off her shoulders.
She鈥檚 got B.C. off her back.
