A judge's decision to deny an attempt from British Columbia to block the piece of Alberta legislation commonly known as the ‘Turn Off the Taps’ bill is not worthy of celebration, according to Alberta political watchers.
“It’s not a win at all, because it has nothing to do with the arguments in the case whether or not the legislation is constitutional, this is simply a question of which court is the appropriate one to hear this,” said Lori Williams, a political science professor at Mount Royal University.
On Friday, Court of Queen's Bench Justice Robert Hall highlighted the lack of precedence for the case and stayed his decision, saying this "interprovincial dispute" belongs in a Federal Court.
Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage said in a statement the province was "pleased" with the ruling.
Meanwhile, B.C.'s Attorney General's office confirms it has already filed a similar case in Federal Court and looks forward to a future hearing date that has not yet been established.
Williams also says pursuing legislation to restrict the flow of oil from Alberta to B.C. could alienate pipeline supporters in that province.
"You don't want to squander that kind of support by attacking the people or making things harder for people whose support in British Columbia that you need," said Williams.
