MORE PIPELINES: Kenney mocks Quebec for propane crisis

Alberta’s Premier Jason Kenney has mocked Quebec’s propane shortage, telling the Quebecois that if they wanted more propane they needed to build more pipelines—a proposal which Quebec’s politicians shot down in recent days.

Kenney made these comments on a Facebook interview on Thursday. When he was asked a question concerning Quebec’s propane crisis, Kenney stated that there was a technology “that could guarantee you constant, stable access to propane and other fuels … They’re called pipelines.”

Quebec is currently suffering from a propane crisis after the CN railway strike left la Belle Province without gas it relies on. If Quebec does not receive propane imminently, there could be a province-wide shutdown of hospitals and barbeques.

So to avoid this disaster, Quebec’s CAQ government has chosen to ration its propane, hoping that the CN railway strike stops before their propane reserves are depleted.

Kenney’s comments will antagonize a Quebec whose parties have recently relished in provoking the population of western Canada. Although Quebec and Alberta have never been particularly fond of each other, this year’s election has unleashed province-wide bitterness towards Ottawa and Quebec. As a result of this, Kenney and Saskatchewan’s premier Scott Moe have threatened to disband the federal equalization program that has disproportionately favourved Quebec.

The two most senior politicians in Quebec, François Legault, and Yves-François Blanchet, have also enjoyed insulting an indignant Kenney and his irritated Albertan population. Recently, Blanchet suggested that Quebec contributes “billions” to the development of pipelines in Alberta. As well as this, Blanchet was audacious enough to say that Alberta did not give a cheque to Quebec, despite the Albertans sending $23 billion over the past five years.

Blanchet, who leads the vaguely separatist Bloc Quebecois, also took time last week to mock the Wexit movement, telling reporters that “the desire to do whatever they want with their oil might not be a sufficient reason to fuel a desire to become a country.”

Western Canada experienced a collective outcry of frustration during this year’s election. The Liberals campaign was so abysmal in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and northern British Columbia, that they failed to win a single seat in these regions. Although the Prime Minister has expressed solemn concern over the nature of this polarization, Trudeau has not promoted any senator from western Canada to his executive, meaning a third of the country is entirely unrepresented.