Rick Mercer rants to Montreal's Denis Coderre, saying Energy East is needed

If you're one of the many Albertans ticked off by Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre'sopposition to Energy East,take heart you're not alone.

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TheMontreal Metropolitan Community, a grouping of 82 Montreal-area municipalitiesled by the mayor, came out lastThursday againstthe Energy East plan.

The group'sopposition isthe latest challenge toTransCanada's proposedproject, which would carry 1.1 million barrels a day ofoilsandscrude through Quebecto anexport terminal in Saint John, N.B.

But now aprominent voice out of Ontario isentering the debate in a way that only Rick Mercercan.

In his latest rant, set to air on the Rick Mercer ReportTuesday night, he goes after Denis Coderrefor saying the pipeline proposal doesn't have enough in it for Montreal.

'Nothing to do with Montreal'

"This has nothing to do with Montreal, this has nothing to do with Quebec," Mercer said. "This is about one part of Canada trying to get their natural resources to the world market."

Mercer concedes that while many Canadians "hate the factthat the world is addicted to oil and Canadais sitting on a wholebunch of it,"it would be in the country's best interest to approve the project.

"We all need this thing," said Mercer.

He points out that as a "have-not" province, Quebec received $9.5 billion in transfer paymentslast year"as they should" to make sure all Canadians have the same standard of living.

But it'sa fund that Alberta pays into because of its oil wealth,even though the provincialeconomy is tanking.Mercer reminded his viewers that "we are all in this together."

"It is time for provinces to start asking what's in it for Canada, not just what's in it for me."

Prime MinisterJustinTrudeauwill meet withCoderreon Tuesday to talk about the pipeline. It comes after interim Conservative LeaderRonaAmbrose calledCoderre'sremarks about the Energy East pipeline "insulting" and said they threaten national unity.