It’s not every day that a Canadian prime minister gets name-checked in a political debate in the United States. But in a hyper-polarized midterm election season, it’s not surprising it would happen to Justin Trudeau.
It came during a heated, hyperbolic showdown between Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican challenger Tudor Dixon, who attacked her rival’s yearlong bid to shut down the cross-border Line 5 pipeline.
“Justin Trudeau, who I would say is the most radical environmentalist in the entire world, came out and invoked a 1977 treaty telling Gretchen Whitmer she could not shut down Line 5,” Dixon said.
“Line 5 has not been shut down, but that’s not because Gretchen Whitmer hasn’t tried.”
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Whitmer’s administration has been battling in court for the last year to shut down the pipeline, fearing an environmental disaster in the Straits of Mackinac, the ecologically sensitive corridor where Line 5 crosses the Great Lakes.
Her Oct. 25 debate-night defence of the state’s ongoing lawsuit against Line 5’s owner and operator, Calgary-based Enbridge Inc., was hardly strident — evidence of how vulnerable Democrats are feeling when it comes to energy prices.
“First, let me clarify there has been no change in Line 5. No change,” she said, noting that the company’s plans to encase the twin gas line in an underground tunnel are moving forward and “all of the permits have been executed.”
She emphasized efforts in Michigan to build more sources of sustainable wind and solar energy, describing the state as topping the list of creating new clean energy jobs across the country.
“We know that costs have gone up on everything. And that’s why building out energy alternatives is really important — giving you alternatives to help bring down the cost of energy,” Whitmer said.
“We are focused on building out alternatives — ensuring our energy independence, protecting you from spikes and protecting our Great Lakes. It’s not one or the other. We must do all of it.”
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