B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver stepped up his symbolic protest against the NDP government91裸聊视频檚 tax breaks for natural gas exports, walking out of the legislature with his fellow MLAs to let the opposition win a vote.

91裸聊视频淭his is the B.C. NDP and B.C. Liberals91裸聊视频� legislation,91裸聊视频� Weaver wrote on Twitter after the three Green MLAs intentionally skipped the vote Tuesday evening. 91裸聊视频淭hey now walk hand in hand in giving handouts to a fossil fuel project that will be Canada91裸聊视频檚 largest source of emissions.91裸聊视频�

My caucus colleagues and I have abstained from voting on the LNG amendment brought forward by the BC Liberals. We will play no part in debating, passing or defeating an amendment on a piece of legislation we fundamentally oppose. 

91裸聊视频� Andrew Weaver (@AJWVictoriaBC)

The vote on an amendment was a tie, 41 to 41, after Weaver and the Greens left the chamber. B.C. Liberal MLA Joan Isaacs, the assistant deputy speaker who was presiding over debate, cast the deciding vote with the opposition. The result was to force the NDP government to keep a provision to make its project agreement with LNG Canada public.

While the outcome doesn91裸聊视频檛 change the province91裸聊视频檚 deal to support LNG Canada91裸聊视频檚 $40 billion investment in a pipeline and gas export facilities at Kitimat, it demonstrates the tension in the minority government as the B.C. Greens continue to keep the NDP in power.

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B.C. Liberal MLA Ellis Ross, a former Haisla Nation chief and long-time backer of LNG projects for the Kitimat area, was scornful of the Green protest.

91裸聊视频淢an this is shameful,91裸聊视频� Ross tweeted after the vote. 91裸聊视频淭he Green Party left the house so they wouldn91裸聊视频檛 have to vote against the NDP on accountability. Then they come back in after the vote is over to vote no on LNG.91裸聊视频�

That was an embarrassing day for the BCGREENS. They DID NOT abstain. They ran out of the house so they wouldn91裸聊视频檛 have to vote on BCNDP accountability

91裸聊视频� Ellis Ross (@ellisbross)

The votes came after a long debate on the LNG tax breaks, which repeal the Christy Clark government91裸聊视频檚 LNG income tax, extend the commercial rate for electricity to LNG Canada, and defer provincial sales tax payment until the project begins shipping liquefied gas to Asia.

B.C. Liberal MLA Mike de Jong spent much of the day Tuesday pressing Finance Minister Carole James on making the project agreement public, and on the lack of a formal agreement on how many temporary foreign workers would be used in construction.

LNG Canada is a consortium of Shell, Korea Gas, PetroChina, Mitsubishi of Japan and Petronas, a Malaysian-based energy giant.

tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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