Politicians of all stripes have had plenty to say in the wake of the Liberal government’s decision this week to approve the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. That’s to be expected. It’s a big decision, involving huge and important issues on both sides of the debate. It’s one of the defining moments of Trudeau’s term to date and the fallout from that is not going to stop anytime soon.
Locally, both North Vancouver MP Jonathan Wilkinson and West Vancouver MP Pam Goldsmith-Jones have weighed in to defend the decision. They have the unenviable task of defending a decision unpopular with many in their ridings. They also get to explain why a party that courted small-L liberal voters in B.C. by promising change in environmental policies is now touting a pipeline expansion for diluted bitumen and tankers in Burrard Inlet as part of that plan.
Curiously, one person we have yet to hear from so far is the Liberal MP whose riding is most affected by the decision – Terry Beech of Burnaby North-Seymour. Beech was a vocal critic of the National Energy Board process leading up to the decision. But since Tuesday, he has gone into radio silence.
We have some sympathy for the rookie MP. The decision is extremely unpopular in his riding. It could be he fought the good fight and lost. But that’s politics. Now it’s up to Beech to speak up about what he thinks of the decision and to hear what citizens want from him.
Just as Beech promised to be Burnaby and Seymour’s voice in Ottawa, sometimes an MP gets to be the point man for federal decision-making back home.
Beech says he’ll talk to constituents on home turf this weekend. Here’s hoping after five days of silence, he has something substantive to say.
What are your thoughts? Send us a letter via email by clicking here or post a comment below.
