see, you have to understand that the western mythology is that everything is the east's fault. it doesn't matter what it is, really. so, history becomes malleable to uphold the point - whatever is happening at this very instant is always the east's fault.

the country as a whole has given the western mythology a gift, in raising the dauphin to the status of prime minister, but it would have carried along the same way, regardless.

so, let's look at the actual history.

in a response to the uncertainty surrounding opec oil imports that occurred throughout the 70s, the liberal government of the time (headed by pierre trudeau) designed a plan for energy security that would provide the industrial base in eastern canada with cheap oil flowing in from western canada. this would be accomplished by a combination of state controlled industry and price and export controls, which would lead to a subsidized market for oil in eastern canada.

western canada found the situation most aggravating, as it claimed it could sell oil to the americans at a higher price. so, with the help of quebec, it managed to defeat the ruling liberals and install a conservative government that, while headed by a quebecker, had a western-first political strategy. through two successive mandates, the mulroney government did two major things to the canadian oil industry: it abolished the national energy program, which subsidized eastern canada with cheap alberta oil, and instead opened up a market in the united states....to provide the americans with subsidized oil.

and, alberta was actually quite content with this for some time.

so, the national energy program was meant to subsidize eastern canada with cheap energy from an expensive source. alberta rejected this, in favour of a plan (nafta) meant to subsidize the western united states with cheap energy from an expensive source. now, they are blaming trudeau's son for the fact that they are stuck subsidizing the americans with cheap oil from an expensive source, despite it being their own decision.

in the end, if the oil flows to china, alberta should prepare itself for the economic reality: it will be providing china with cheap energy from an expensive source. because it is the operation that is unprofitable, and no amount of pipelines will resolve that.

trudeau is actually even wrong on this point. the pipeline is backwards thinking and should be stopped. i just didn't expect to be able to see this play out politically - and this is no doubt due to the power invested in the small green party contingent in the legislature. i suspect that the bc ndp actually support the pipeline, they're just being forced to oppose it to prevent an election. but, even a short delay, politically, could help the court process sort the problems out before shovels hit the ground. so, this is an unexpectedly fortuitous balance of power in the legislature. bc voters voted wisely.

http://business.financialpost.com/opinion/jack-mintz-another-nep-fiasco-looms-as-westerners-suffer-for-trudeaus-energy-follies

jagmeet singh must cut his beard