Oil industry hack Rachel Notley's hypocritical concern for the "rule of law" now fully exposed

“Just because the B.C. government, in coalition with the Green Party, doesn’t like the decision gives them absolutely no right to ignore the law or… change the rules at half-time based on a whim,” - Rachel Notley

 “The B.C. government took aim at the jobs of hundreds of thousands of hardworking women and men in every industry that depends on governments acting within the rule of law.” - Rachel Notley

 "But at the end of the day, what I know is that when you become government, you have an absolute obligation to enforce the rule of law, and I've never seen any government refuse to do that — NDP, or Liberal or Conservative." - Rachel Notley

Funny how things change when the "rule of law" no longer goes the way of oil industry hack politicians, including faux "social democratic" ones.

This certainly applies to the increasingly reactionary Rachel Notley and her gang of oil industry stooges pontificating about it.

They were very  happy to do so when talking about rounding up peaceful Indigenous and environmental protesters and throwing them in jail.

Suddenly, though, Notley and crew could not care less about the "rule of law" and are withdrawing from the federal climate change plan because they cannot accept a legal decision made by a federal court based on Supreme Court precedent.

"In a stunning blow, the Federal Court of Appeals has quashed the government's approvals to build the Trans Mountain expansion project handing a major victory to Indigenous groups and environmentalists opposed to the $7.4 billion project.

In a decision written by Justice Eleanor Dawson, the court found that the National Energy Board's assessment of the project was so flawed that it should not have been relied on by the federal cabinet when it gave its final approval to proceed in November 2016.
The certificate approving conduction and operation of the project has been nullified, leaving the project hanging in a legal limbo until the energy regulator and the government reassess their approvals to satisfy the court's demands.
In effect, the court has halted construction of the 1,150-kilometre project indefinitely...

...The appellate court also found that the federal government did not adequately, or meaningfully, consult with Indigenous people and hear out their concerns after the NEB issued its report recommending that cabinet approve the project.
The court has ordered the federal government redo its Phase 3 consultation.
"Only after that consultation is completed and any accommodation made can the project be put before the Governor in Council (cabinet) for approval," the decision reads.
"The duty to consult was not adequately discharged in this case."

This, by the way, is the actual "rule of law".

With Notley and her faux "social democrat" bunch in Alberta we can now clearly see it was never about the law, Indigenous rights or the environment, it was always about pandering to Big Oil and Big Business in a vain attempt to ingratiate themselves to the ruling class.

Notley's erstwhile ally -- who she is now throwing under the bus -- Trudeau went so far as to toss billions of dollars towards nationalizing the pipeline even when no money can be found for such minor things as intercity public transit in western Canada or safe drinking water or proper infrastructure for Indigenous people.

Meanwhile the evidence of the damage being done by fossil fuel extraction has never been greater than in this summer of the "hothouse earth".

Notley and the Alberta NDP government are an apalling example of the bankruptcy and opportunism of Canadian "social democracy" and its willingness to debase itself for the illusion of "power". She was never actually committed to stopping climate change anyway. It was a sick, hypocritical joke.

She is not alone in her hypocrisy -- there is certainly a lot to go around including in the case of the BC NDP government -- but her attempt to tank any federal climate change plan because a pipeline she supported was stalled by a court acting according to the "rule of law" she claims to hold so dear is grotesque.

Solidarity is by definition a two way street and the Alberta NDP has displayed absolutely none for Indigenous peoples or for any people living beyond their narrow little borders and re-election "plan". They deserve none in return.

Notley will lose the next provincial election and, especially after tonight, she and her government deserve to.

Further Readings:

"Any "progressive" or "social democratic" party or government that wants to talk about jobs within a sector whose environmental outcomes are both staggering and global without acknowledging those outcomes on workers beyond its borders is not one that deserves support.
And that is the inconvenient truth that progressives who support or apologize for the terrible pandering of Notley and her adoption of truly vile rightist, anti-environmentalist propaganda and framing cannot afford to admit. When a politician talks about "workers" and ignores the interests of millions of them in Canada and hundreds of millions of them worldwide they are engaging in a deception that will, indeed, by applauded by big business and right-wing talking heads.
But they are also putting the lie to their pretensions to care about climate change and its demonstrable and terrible effects. It is impossible for Canada to take "action on climate change" without ultimately shutting down the tar sands and its pipelines and that is simply science fact.
A politician that does not understand that or accept that does not actually care in any meaningful way about fighting climate change. They are no more committed to it than the Republicans in the US.
So here is the thing, Rachel Notley: Climate change is already, right now, destroying millions of workers jobs and lives around the world. Climate change driven by fossil fuels and the tar sands. This is easily proven and is a scientific fact.
So please, smarten up." - from To Rachel Notley -- Climate change is destroying millions of workers jobs and lives around the world, so please, smarten up

The threat of climate change is immediate and real -- Ending 'car culture' is a key part of combating it