The naughty-minded among us may have become momentarily excited on hearing a proposed piece of federal legislation named Bill C-69 would take into account the intersection of sex and gender.
But sadly this 341-page proposal from the Trudeau government isn’t some updated Canuck version of the Kama Sutra but instead is a mammoth monstrosity that has everything to do with the future – or actually the lack of such - of our country’s pipeline industry.
Just when you thought the simple act of laying pipe in the cold Canadian ground couldn’t possibly get more contentious or convoluted, along comes this epic proposal - the Impact Assessment Act - that goes way past any soap opera setting to deposit us firmly in the realm of utter farce. Retaining a sense of humour is the only refuge while wading through Bill C-69’s innumerable clauses upon which any future pipeline proposal will be judged only to stumble on the aforementioned beauty, which, even when couched in governmental double-speak, takes your breath away. Under ‘factors to consider’ for any future pipeline proposers is this zinger: ‘the health, social and economic effects, including with respect to the intersection of sex and gender with other identity factors.’
Of course this is just one of many such hurdles, but in those few words the death knell of the future pipeline business is writ large: ‘Done like Dinner’ would be appropriate wording. Imagine, after all the environmental reviews, the endless consultation and the back-bending acceptance of each and every tradition arising from Indigenous folk along the way, some future mythical company also would have to consider exactly what to do about intersecting sex and gender. It’s mind-boggling.
The word mythical is apt because if this bill does indeed become law then no firm’s going to bother. Why, with all the investment opportunities in welcoming countries across the world, would any outfit decide to jump through more made-in-Canada hoops than a rhythmic gymnast with a shot at Olympic gold. They’ll take their pipe and go elsewhere, which is probably the reason the current government in Ottawa is pushing this tripe. If nobody actually suggests building a future Canadian pipeline then the prime minister won’t have to be involved in difficult decisions, freeing up more time for selfies, dressing up and saying sorry.
Chris Bloomer, head of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, was succinct in his opinion; saying Bill C-69 would create ‘unmanageable uncertainty.’ “If the goal is to curtail oil and gas production, and to have no more pipelines built, this legislation may have hit the mark,” he said last week. Meanwhile, the premier is urging patience. Rachel Notley’s government seems to think its own climate change plans will somehow persuade the feds to cut our province some slack and essentially exempt us from Bill C-69’s overreach because we’re already doing such a great job saving the planet with a carbon tax and emission limits. Well, best of luck with that reasoning because, when it comes to pipeline politics, giving Alberta a pass on such far-reaching federal legislation isn’t likely. Not when we’re ground zero for the entire debate.
It’s the same old argument from Notley that went under the ‘social licence’ claptrap. That wasn’t exactly a winning strategy. Just look at the interprovincial co-operation that brought us – think the virulent opposition to the Energy East and Trans Mountain pipeline proposals.
Perhaps the Kinder Morgan project will eventually succeed even if the province might have to build the darn thing itself in order to get more Alberta crude to tidewater. But if so, then that’ll be it: the last of its kind. Bill C-69 will make sure of it.
