Former Green leader Andrew Weaver says he would have called election over LNG approval

Former B.C. Green party leader Andrew Weaver wanted to call an election over the NDP’s support for the LNG Canada/Coastal GasLink project, but was outvoted by his two Green colleagues.

In a tweet on Saturday night, Weaver wrote that “My former colleagues @AdamPOlsen & @SoniaFurstenau were afraid to stand up to the B.C. NDP (with respect to) the LNG development. I was ready to go to election, but in my opinion, they were more interested in re-election than they were about standing up for @BCGreen principles.”

The tweet came after Weaver lashed out at his one-time close political ally and supporter Sonia Furstenau, MLA for Cowichan Valley, after she said a four-day work week similar to what was being proposed in New Zealand was a good idea.

Weaver told Furstenau on Twitter that it was an “Absolutely kookie idea.” “We aren’t New Zealand. U clearly haven’t thought this through as it’s far more complicated than just a few sound bites & a tweet. Perhaps u should do background research before shooting from the hip. Classic decision-based evidence-making.”

Weaver resigned as leader last October and became an independent in his Oak Bay-Gordon Head riding in January this year, saying he needed to balance work with family health demands. Furstenau is hoping to become the party leader in their upcoming internal election.

The 2017 provincial election delivered the B.C. Green party, then headed by Weaver, three seats that decided the balance of power between the minority Liberal government and opposition NDP.

Weaver inked a confidence and supply agreement with Premier John Horgan that helped topple the government of Liberal premier Christy Clark and promised the Greens would support the NDP government on important parliamentary votes.

In October 2018 the B.C. and federal governments showed support for the $40 billion LNG Canada liquification plant near Kitimat and the Coastal GasLink pipeline to ship gas from Dawson Creek to the plant.

In March 2018 the B.C. government repealed a law that would have imposed taxes on the LNG industry, thereby giving the LNG Canada project multi-billion dollar tax breaks and support.

While the three Green MLAs voted against the measure, they were outvoted by the NDP and Liberals, but did not use it as a wedge issue to withdraw support for the NDP government and force an election.

There were Canada-wide protests at the start of this year against the Coastal GasLink pipeline, centred around opposition by Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs to the pipe going through their territory with only the consent of elected Wet’suwet’en leaders.

— With a file from Rob Shaw

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