Former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall penned an op-ed for the National Post yesterday that, amidst quoting some classic rock lyrics, repeated a bunch of debunked mythology about pipelines that never happened, the federal price on carbon, Bills C-48 and C-69, and even pulse exports to India. (Seriously – does Wall not read anything?) But amidst this pile of false narratives, Wall decided to make a few “suggestions” about how to mollify Alberta and Saskatchewan, which included the non-starters of letting the provinces set their own carbon price on heavy emitters (effectively ignoring the whole point of the national price is to ensure that provinces don’t undercut one another in a race to the bottom), an “equalization rebate” which is not actually equalization – and worse, wants to offload the environmental liabilities of orphan well clean-up to the federal government under the guise of said “equalization rebates.” (Seriously, the Supreme Court just months ago said that the responsibility for orphan wells can’t just be offloaded because of bankruptcy, and companies need to be responsible for remediating them, because we have a polluter pays principle in this country). Wall also demanded that Trans Mountain be completed and privatized with a significant portion going to First Nations interests (why the privatization matters to him I’m not entirely certain), and amendments to C-48 and C-69 to ensure that pipelines can get to the West Coast – even though that would seem to undermine the fact that all projects need to undergo a proper assessment. Suffice to say, the demands for a “fairer deal” with the federation are generally built on false premises, such as lies about how equalization works, and a sense of grievance that no amount of capitulation will actually solve. (Ask Brian Mulroney about that one).

For a reality check, the Hill Times consulted with professor Andrew Leach about all of the claims that Trudeau single-handedly destroyed Alberta’s economy – complete bunk, of course – but it has some good facts in here about the context of the oil price crash, and the demands for MOAR PIPELINES! when there won’t be enough production capacity to build yet more pipelines once the TMX expansion, Enbridge Line 3 and Keystone XL all finish construction.

Meanwhile, Wall’s successor, Scott Moe, is warning that the separatist talk is “alive and happening.” I’m going to call bullshit – only a few loudmouths and swivel-eyed loons are talking about it, and not seriously. Ordinary people simply vent frustrations because they’re being fed a diet of lies and snake oil, which is what Jason Kenney and Moe want – people to be angry at Justin Trudeau, so that their attention can be safely elsewhere.

Good reads:

• New Canadian Ambassador to China, Dominic Barton, has met with Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in Chinese detention.
• Here is a further look at the kinds of inauthentic online behaviour that was observed during the election (but didn’t rise to the level of full-on interference).
• Here’s a reality check on the notion that this election was somehow indicative of more regional divisions than any in the past. It’s not.
• A number of former Conservative MPs, and one Conservative-turned-Independent Senator, says that Andrew Scheer needs to be replaced.
• Here’s a look into the Green “surge” that never happened – or perhaps never existed.
• Kim Campbell says that Scheer’s social conservatism wasn’t his problem, but rather that he couldn’t convince Canadians to trust him.
• CBC Calgary delves further into the history of “Western separatism” and the sentiments being stoked by elites like Jason Kenney.
• Kady O’Malley’s Process Nerd column explains the Conservative Party’s leadership review process, which Scheer will have to face in April.
• Susan Delacourt gets a head start on the Cabinet speculation.
• Colby Cosh flays Jason Kenney’s sneaky tax increases in his latest budget, and exposes the weasel words like “de-indexing” that lead to bracket creep.

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