Thread by @BlairKing_ca

The thing to recognize when dealing with the anti-#transmountain people is that they love the bait and switch argument. This piece by David Hughes and promoted by @ElizabethMay is a classic example corporatemapping.ca/trans-mountain… #bcpoli #cdnpoli #canpoli @sjmuir #GPC #NOpipeline 1/

In the piece Mr. Hughes discusses the difference in price between heavy oil in the Gulf and Heavy oil in Asia to argue the @TransMtn is not useful. Except Alberta can't get its oil in volume to the Gulf Coast either #bcpoli #cdnpoli #canpoli #GPC #NOpipeline 2/

So the price comparison is totally irrelevant, he may as well be comparing the price of Alberta oil to the price of apples. What matters is what Alberta is getting for its oil at Hardisty. Compare that to the Asian price #bcpoli #cdnpoli #canpoli #GPC #NOpipeline 3/

The other thing is that he compares the price without transportation costs, because the oil when it gets to the west coast gets a premium to Asia because the transportation costs are so much lower from there #bcpoli #cdnpoli #canpoli #GPC #NOpipeline 4/

As for his discussion of royalties, another trick. The royalty rates are based on the rice of crude. Because the crude prices are suppressed, so will the royalties. Get a higher price for the oil (on the west coast) and royalties go up #bcpoli #cdnpoli #canpoli #GPC #NOpipeline 5

Then there is his line about curtailment. He argues that it has helped decrease the price differential but that is because the government is literally stopping producers from producing because they can't get their product to market. #bcpoli #cdnpoli #canpoli #GPC #NOpipeline 6/

There's a lot more, but it is always the same, present information, that is usually either half-true or irrelevant, and then hope that most of their listeners/readers will not be knowledgeable enough to recognize what they are doing #bcpoli #cdnpoli #canpoli #GPC #NOpipeline 7/

It is a mugs game but today I have seen it re-tweeted by a lot of people who should know better.

Frankly @jkenney instead of spending on a "war room" why not find a half-dozen people who know their stuff and set them loose #bcpoli #cdnpoli #canpoli #GPC #NOpipeline 8/

Take the high road, every time they present garbage find someone to debunk it and get it out there right away and not mindless PR types but people who can have an informed conversation.

You have to tell a better story not fight "enemies" #bcpoli #cdnpoli #GPC #NOpipeline 9/