Kinder Morgan pipeline protesters back NDP and Liberals over Greens

An alliance of anti-Kinder Morgan pipeline protesters in B.C. isendorsing "strategic voting" forthe New Democratsor Liberals across several Lower Mainlandridings inthe upcoming election, rather than back the Greens.

Ben West, who sits on the board of the Force of Nature Alliance, says he feels strongly they need to be strategic about who they're supporting to have the best chance of defeating the Conservatives.

"In Burnaby-North Seymour, the decision was made to support the NDP candidate," said West. "But it's not a blanket endorsement of any particular party."

West, who is also executive director of Tanker FreeBC, says it is difficult for Greens to break through in an already crowded political landscape.

"It's great that Greens are out there and pushing the debate and forcing all the parties to be greener," he said.

"But the realities of our political process and the issues that we've got with the first-past-the-post system make it very difficult to see it being a reality that the Greens would win."

Swing riding in pipeline battle

The new riding of Burnaby-North Seymour is both ground zero in the battle between those who are for and against pipelines, and a swing riding with voters who've traditionally fallen on opposite sides of the political spectrum.

Kinder Morgan is proposing an expansion of its Trans Mountain pipeline throughBurnabyMountain thatwould lay almost 1,000 kilometres of new pipe, and triple its current bitumen-carrying capacity to 890,000 barrels a day.

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Meanwhile, with new riding boundaries drawn up in 2012,Burnaby-NorthSeymour combinesthe traditional NDP stronghold of Burnaby North with the traditionally Conservative eastern neighbourhoods of North Vancouver.

Green candidatesurprised by alliance

Lynne Quarmby, the riding's Green Party candidate,was one of more than 100 people who werearrested in anact of civil disobedience last year,aftertaking part in protestsagainst the pipeline extensiononBurnabyMountain.

Shesaysshe wassurprised to hear about the alliance's recommendation to vote NDP.

"It's a little surprising that they would endorse a candidate from a party on the fence about the pipeline when there's another candidate who's really strongly opposed."

QuarmbysaysCanada should have a government that will stop the pipeline expansion, but questions whether strategic voting will work in Burnaby.

"As much as anyone, I want to see Harper gone," said Quarmby.

"So in that sense I understand the feeling that drives people to vote strategically, and in some ridings it might be a reliable thing to do, but in a riding likeBurnaby-NorthSeymour, good luck with that."

NEB review criticized by Liberals, NDP

Kinder Morgan'sapplication for the expansion is currently being reviewed by the National Energy Board.

The NDP candidate in the new riding,Carol Baird Ellan, has said the current form of the energy company's application before the NEB is flawed.

Meanwhile, Terry Beech,the Liberal party candidate,has focused on changes to the NEB's environmental review process, which has been widely criticized by citizens and experts.

Conservative candidate Mike Little has said his partywill not condemn projects before the review process has been completed, adding that Conservativesrecognizethat in a country rich with resources, jobs dependon the energy sector.

West points outthe alliance is still supporting Green Party leader Elizabeth May in the riding ofSaanich-GulfIslands, but for real change in parliament, the alliance had to broaden its approach.

"I think we need to movebeyond looking at one particular party, given the problems that we've got with vote splitting and an electoral system that's highly flawed."