Thomas Mulcair’s visit to U.S. sparks concern from Alberta Premier Alison Redford

By JACKIE L. LARSON ,Edmonton Sun

First posted: Tuesday, March 12, 2013 01:32 PM MDT | Updated: Tuesday, March 12, 2013 01:39 PM MDT

Canadian Natutal Resources Minister Joe Oliver isn’t the only leader afraid NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair left facts behind in his travels to Washington D.C. this week.

Premier Alison Redford said Tuesday that Mulcair is dealing in politics, not facts, on the Keystone XL pipeline.

“I think it’s really unfortunate that he would advance this political agenda at a time when getting this project through matters so much to Canadians and I’m not at all surprised that he’s doing it,” Redford said.

Mulcair’s visit to D.C. comes in the wake of Canada’s minister of natural resources, Oliver, who criticized Mulcair’s deputy leader, Megan Leslie, for her attacks on U.S. State Department scientists. The scientists concluded in a February report that Keystone won’t hurt the environment and will be safer than other American pipelines.

In the few months before an expected U.S. presidential decision on the pipeline that will carry oil from Alberta and the Bakken formation in America to the Texas Gulf Coast, eitorials, regulatory process or political leadership sounding off on the Keystone XL need to be fact-based, Redford said.

“Unfortunately we’ve seen that Mr. Mulcair’s not factually based with respect to (the Keystone XL),” Redford said.

“He’s been very consistent, I don’t think that it shows national leadership and I don’t think that he should be doing it.”

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