John Rustad has accused David Eby of not acting in Canada's best interest by vehemently opposing the construction of a new pipeline to British Columbia's North Coast.The BC Conservative leader's comments came following the premier's signing of the "North Coast Protection Declaration" which affirmed his commitment to ensuring the tanker ban remains in place.."It's disappointing to see the approach that this NDP government is taking with regard to Canada and unifying this country," Rustad told the Western Standard at the BC Cabinet and First Nations Leaders' Gathering in Vancouver on Wednesday. He pointed out that Canada is currently selling oil to the Americans at a 20% to 30% discount..WATCH: Eby, First Nations leaders call on feds to ensure BC's North Coast remains pipeline-free."We should actually be saying 'enough of subsidizing the Americans'," Rustad continued. "We should actually be getting true value for that as Canadians."He argued that this can only happen if Canada is able to get oil out to tidewaters, such as those in BC."Our coasts are not just British Columbia's coasts, they're Canadian coasts," the opposition leader declared, "and we should be thinking about how we can support this country.".WATCH: Eby, First Nations leaders call on feds to ensure BC's North Coast remains pipeline-free.During a press conference earlier Wednesday, Eby claimed that First Nations in BC were unified in their rejection of a new pipeline. Rustad rejected that assertion.."I've talked to many First Nations leaders who are interested in exploring the opportunity," Rustad said. "For example, there was a project that was proposed not long ago — I believe it was called the Eagle Spirit Pipeline — where many First Nations all the way from the Alberta border all the way out to Prince Rupert were in support of a pipeline to move bitumen out to sea."He added that there's "lots of opportunity" out there, arguing that we could "unify this country" by taking advantage of our natural resources.
