VICTORIA, B.C. - Two former premiers warned Monday that British Columbia's future economic survival may rely heavily on the federal government scrapping a moratorium and allow development of offshore oil and gas resources.
"The moratorium ought to be lifted," said former B.C. New Democrat premier Dan Miller of the federal ban that's been in place for more than three decades.
His comment followed a post-election panel in the B.C. capital featuring three former premiers from Canada's three major political parties: Miller, former Newfoundland Liberal premier Brian Tobin and former Ontario Conservative premier Mike Harris.
Miller told a chamber of commerce lunch crowd that B.C.'s once dominant forestry sector was in its worst shape in history.
Before becoming premier for seven months in late 1999 and early 2000, Miller held several top cabinet posts including forest minister.
He said much of the economic growth in B.C. in the last year or two was due to residential construction, government and consumer spending, and oil and gas development in the northeast corner of the province.
"What's going to drive growth in the B.C. economy?" he asked, noting that residential construction and consumer spending are already tailing off.
Miller made it clear he feels the development of offshore petroleum resources coupled with new pipelines to the coast to help move Alberta oil to markets in Asia could be the best way to foster investment in coming years.
Tobin, who was a cabinet minister in Jean Chretien's federal government, agreed that B.C. must move soon to develop its offshore oil and gas.
He said his province safely developed a multibillion-dollar oil and gas industry in one of the harshest ocean environments on the planet.
"I think Canada and North America needs those resources and the people of British Columbia, of course, can benefit incredibly from their proper and careful development."
But as a former fisheries minister, he acknowledged the environmental concerns on the Pacific coast.
"I'm a great believer and passionate about these wonderful natural resources we have here in British Columbia, in particular the salmon stock and the preservation of that stock," he said.
"But the fact is we have the technology, we have the know-how, we have the capability all over the world to responsibly, appropriately and safely develop these resources."
He said the reason is that it hasn't happened up until now is understandable.
"A high level of fear and concern," he said.
But B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell isn't nearly as gung ho.
Reached by phone at a premier's conference in Montreal, Campbell said his government will only agree to go down that road when all the science is in and when all the community consultations have been done.
"I can tell you in talking with the energy industry in Canada, they are far more interested in pursing right now the opportunities in the northeast . . . which are land-based," he said.
