By The Canadian Press

Provincial Election

On the campaign trail, April 8: Kenney and Notley focus on Trans Mountain, Mandel to boost agriculture

Apr 8, 2019 | 2:41 PM

Notley says approval for Trans Mountain is close

Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley says the province is nearer than ever to getting federal approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

During an election campaign stop with energy workers in Edmonton, she said she expects to get that approval by the end of May.

The National Energy Board endorsed an expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline to the B.C. coast in February but federal Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi has said a final decision would not be made until consultations with affected Indigenous groups are complete.

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Notley says she’s willing to bet her political future on getting the province’s first pipeline to tidewater in over 60 years.

Kenney threatening to “turn off the taps” to B.C. if Trans Mountain doesn’t go through

UCP leader Jason Kenney says if he wins next week’s Alberta election, he will proclaim an NDP law allowing the province to restrict energy shipments to B-C on his first day in office.

He told supporters in Medicine Hat that he wouldn’t be afraid to use it if the B.C. government continues to obstruct the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion to the west coast.

Kenney says gas prices have hit an all-time high of $1.67 a litre in British Columbia and those prices would remain high if Alberta were to scale back crude exports to BC refineries.

The NDP brought in the law but never officially proclaimed it.

Mandel plans to boost provinces agriculture sector

Leader Stephen Mandel says an Alberta Party government would create 6,000 new jobs and create a new innovation fund for the province’s agriculture and agri-food industries.

Mandel says his goal upon taking office after the April 16 election would be to boost the value of the industries by $1 billion to $4.5 billion.

He says the new fund would provide $100 million annually, starting this fiscal year, for industry-led projects and increased upgrading of plant-based proteins and biofuels.

Mandel says he would also focus on developing a new export program to sell more raw and value-added agriculture products.

The party’s farm platform also calls for an update to the Agriculture Financial Services Corp., which provides crop insurance, livestock price insurance, farm loans, commercial loans and farm income disaster assistance.

Mandel says in a release that changing the way agricultural products are grown, raised, processed and sold would create a healthier environment and a stronger economy.