Alberta NDP at odds with Mulcair over future of resource development

Alberta's NDP sees itself at loggerheads with federal NDP Leader Tom Mulcair over the future of Canada's resource development as Premier Rachel Notley prepares today to address the convention being held in her backyard.

New Democrats in the province are furious that Mulcair is open to exploring ideas contained within the so-called "Leap Manifesto" — a relatively radical policy blueprint driven by activists within the party that openly rejects pipeline development and calls for Canada to wean itself off fossil fuels.

This week, Alberta's deputy premier took direct aim at Mulcair over the issue in the legislature in response to a question from WildRose Leader Brian Jean about suggestions Mulcair had made when asked about keeping oil in the ground.

"Those remarks are unacceptable," declared Sarah Hoffman.

Notley then dialled up the volume on her pipeline push in a televised address on Thursday night.

"Every Canadian benefits from a strong energy sector," Notley said. "But we can’t continue to support Canada’s economy unless Canada supports us. That means one thing: building a modern and carefully regulated pipeline to tidewater."

By Friday, animosity between the provincial wing and the Mulcair camp was barely concealed in the convention corridors as Alberta New Democrats ripped into the leader for not speaking up for pipelines and for feeding ammunition to their critics.

Down the street from the convention, the schism was out in the open. The province's environment minister, Shannon Phillips, delivered a speech just a few blocks away in which she attacked the Leap Manifesto as anti-Alberta, according to an account of the speech in the Globe and Mail.

"At a time when Albertans are most vulnerable, the last thing that the rest of Canada needs to be doing is making veiled threats about this idea, that’ll never come to pass, about keeping Alberta’s resources stranded," Phillips said.

"It is ungenerous, short-sighted and it is fundamentally, as New Democrats, a betrayal of the people who voted NDP in this province last year."

Meanwhile, Mulcair maintains he is looking forward to the debate surrounding the manifesto at the federal convention, saying the discussion makes him "very proud."

In an interview with The Canadian Press on Friday, he warned it is dangerous to characterize the document as being something about shutting down the oil sands.

Clearly seeking to find common ground with the provincial party, he said he would never advocate for that, nor is it stated in the document itself.

"This is what I am saying — if you're going to look at any big project, whether it is Kinder Morgan or Energy East and you're not looking at whether it will allow Canada to meet its international obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, then you're completely missing the point," Mulcair said.

"You cannot look at any of these projects unless you specifically look at the effect on greenhouse gas emissions and on Canada's international obligations."

Mulcair also praised Notley's effort to address climate change and resource development.

"I think Rachel Notley is doing a magnificent job of defending the economy of her province as she sees it but what I am saying as someone who aspires to lead the country is that every province has to be brought on board," Mulcair said.

"Even though I couldn't be prouder to have Alberta doing its fair share and saying 'look, this is our plan to bend the curve on our greenhouse gas emissions', the province next door with Brad Wall has been saying 'we want none of this', so you have to make sure you have a closed system."

The government of Canada has an obligation to produce a result that is in line with its international obligations to address climate change, he noted.

Mulcair faces a critical leadership review on Sunday where rank-and-file delegates will vote to determine if he should stay at the helm of the party.

On the same day, a joint resolution from the ridings of Toronto-Danforth and Vancouver East that calls for a debate on policies that could flow from the manifesto will face a vote on the convention floor.