You would think Alberta’s premier would know better.
The ban on B.C. wine – and encouragement for Albertan businesses and individuals to boycott – might earn Rachel Notley political points, but it’s unlikely to change the B.C. government into ardent supporters of the Kinder Morgan pipeline.
Boycotts against commercial interests are sometimes effective, but rarely so when used in an attempt to force political change. And when it’s one government using boycotts (or sanctions) against another, the result usually leaves something to be desired.
- READ ALSO: B.C. has ‘days’ to figure out Kinder Morgan pipeline dispute: Notley
- READ ALSO: B.C. already seeking new markets for wine in Asia, U.S.: Horgan
The people who end up getting hurt in these cases aren’t those with decision-making power, but those at the grassroots level with little influence except around election time.
Notley’s boycott may be many things, including an attempt to get the feds more involved, but it’s also lashing out – and it’s at the wrong people.
Alberta and B.C. share the same flag and country. The only sure result of an inter-provincial boycott is harm to other Canadians.
The issue of the Kinder Morgan pipeline is a complicated one. The only way to come to a solution on Kinder Morgan is through negotiation that respects and includes all perspectives: individuals, First Nations, local, provincial and federal governments.
In a way, the boycott threat is a compliment to our wine industry; saying wine is as valuable to our economy as oil is to Alberta’s, putting it right up there with electricity and lumber.
edit@surreynowleader.com
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