Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jun 06/01) - An issue that has consumed much of this government's time over the last year was central at last week's gathering of Western premiers.
Led by Alberta premier Ralph Klein, western premiers united in a call for the provinces to have a significant role in the development of a North American energy policy.
In a communique issued at the conclusion of the May 31-June 1 meeting in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan premiers noted provinces legally own and control the resources. The premiers supported territorial aspirations to achieve the same level of control.
Premier Stephen Kakfwi said Ottawa learned a valuable lesson on unilateral energy decisions the last time it and oil companies tried to push a pipeline down the Mackenzie Valley.
"It was a disaster," Kakfwi said, referring to the attempt, made 30 years ago. The proposal was brought to a screeching halt by falling energy prices and an independent federal inquiry that recommended a 10-year moratorium on pipeline development in the North.
"We have a chance now to recover from that. But they're overly-cautious now. They're a little bit shy. We have to coax them out onto the dance floor."
Kakfwi said the plan developed in Moose Jaw calls for provincial and territorial energy ministers to meet within the next few weeks and report back to the premiers at the start of August.
The Sahtu MLA said he wants to see a framework agreement with the federal government spelling out what's on the table and how the discussions will proceed.
