Penticton and Keremeos are among some of the places Alberta Premier Rachel Notley claims she’s received letters from in support of her government’s decision to ban B.C. wine.
In a series of Tweets Wednesday afternoon, a day after Notley announced the boycott of BC wine, she took to Twitter to release portions of emails she claims came from residents who live in wine regions in B.C. and throughout the province from Vancouver to communities on the island to as far north as Fort St. John.
From the Inbox: "Premier Notley THANK YOU for standing up for National Interest. THANK YOU for pushing Federal Gov. to move our valued commodity, Alberta Oil. Your commitment, energy & dedication is admired. Keep up your excellent work," – Sylvia, Penticton BC #bcpoli #abpoli
— Rachel Notley (@RachelNotley) February 7, 2018
The “From the Inbox” Tweets were all short and positive of the Alberta government’s move to retaliate against B.C. after Premier John Horgan announced last week he was considering banning increased shipments of diluted bitumen off the West Coast.
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The Tweets only include first names and the community Notley claims they came from.
From the Inbox: "I'm from BC & from the wine region in BC. While your actions will impact many small business operations in our region, I applaud your actions. We support you in trying to bring the BC government to their senses," – Roger, Keremeos BC #abpoli #bcpoli
— Rachel Notley (@RachelNotley) February 7, 2018
Some Tweets like Sylvia’s from Penticton thank the Alberta Premier for standing up for the national interest while others like the one from Rainer in Comox apologized for Horgan’s NDP government, and others focused on national pride like Ray’s from Langley who says he’s for “a strong Canada.”
From the Inbox: "I do not agree with the BC Government’s proposal to restrict shipments from Alberta... I’m all for good quality enviro regulations but world class regulations are already in place and besides I’m for a strong Canada," – Ray, Langley BC #bcpoli #abpoli
— Rachel Notley (@RachelNotley) February 7, 2018
From the Inbox: "As a resident of British Columbia, I would like to apologize for the behavior of our government. I - as well as many others here - are on your side," – Rainer, Comox BC #abpoli #bcpoli #ableg
— Rachel Notley (@RachelNotley) February 7, 2018
Prior to Notley’s letter Tweetfest, Boundary-Similkameen MLA Linda Larson, who represents several wine regions in the South Okanagan and Similkameen, fired out a Tweet of her own.
This entire situation is absurd and could of been avoided if NDP leaders acted like adults. Suggest sitting down over a glass of #BCwine from #Oliver #Osoyoos #Similkameen to get it sorted. Let’s do away with bullying and silly boycotts. #bcpoli https://t.co/Yke0DC8Kca
— Linda Larson (@LindaLarsonBC) February 7, 2018
The Alberta ban on B.C. wine came after the NDP government’s decision to halt progress on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
Notley is not only calling for a boycott but is putting an immediate halt to the import of B.C. wine to Alberta through the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Control Board.
In a press conference Wednesday B.C. Premier John Horgan said he will not retaliate against Alberta’s ban, and added his government would not back down from its fight to nix the $7.4-billion pipeline project.
In 2017, that amounted to roughly 17.2 million bottles or over 1.4 million cases. That’s about $70 million paid to BC wineries. Today’s action will also include the AGLC stepping up enforcement on direct to consumer sales.
— Rachel Notley (@RachelNotley) February 6, 2018
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