In Our Opinion: Horgan trying to do what Christy Clark couldn’t get done

If it passes they will come.

At least that’s the hope for the LNG tax credit legislation that sliding through Victoria.

With Andrew Weaver calling it a “generational sellout”, there’s no surprise all three B.C. Green MLAs are against the tax break.

Now, the John Horgan and the NDPs have to work with the BC Liberals in a bizarre twist of fate.

There was so much rhetoric thrown back and forth between the opposing parties during the LNG wave in Prince Rupert, that it’s difficult to imagine that we’re here.

READ MORE: B.C. NDP moves to provide tax credits, tax cut for LNG Canada

In Weaver’s words, the NDP are trying to deliver what Christy Clark couldn’t.

In March of last year, Premier Horgan visited Prince Rupert and spoke on this exact LNG tax break.

“It wasn’t specific to any project, it was a framework for those who may want to come and revisit their previous decisions with respect to competitiveness for natural gas exports from the North Coast,” he said.

A year later, LNG Canada is looking at an estimated $596 million provincial sales tax break for the terminal’s construction. The new legislation also quashes an LNG income tax introduced by the BC Liberals back when they were trying to bring projects to Prince Rupert, which of course didn’t happen.

Could this new incentive bring some kind of revitalization of LNG interest back to Prince Rupert?

The tax credit is for those who may want to “revisit their previous decision”, but with all of the big players out in Rupert, including WCC LNG that withdrew late December, maybe Kitimat will harbour yet another massive project with Chevron Canada and Woodside still actively pursuing the Kitimat LNG facility.

READ MORE: WCC LNG withdraws from environmental process

Despite the fall of Pacific NorthWest LNG in 2017, the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline project is still very much alive with renewed commitments from TransCanada to extend its environmental assessment certificate.

The BC Liberals can’t say no to working with the NDP on this one.