Toronto/CMEDIA: Tim Hodgson, Federal Energy Minister reportedly says he has apologized to Coastal First Nations for his “poor choice of words” roughly 24 hours after he made the comments regarding a meeting he offered to have with the group on Friday.
“My comments last night about a virtual meeting with Coastal First Nations were a poor choice of words, which I regret,” Hodgson said in a post on X.
In the wake of Ottawa and Alberta signing an energy agreement, Hodgson said he would “happily make the trip” to meet meet with the alliance of nine First Nations, who are opposed to a bitumen pipeline to the northern B.C. coast.
When the president of Alliance of nine First Nations the group, Marilyn Slett said the timing and location of the proposed meeting meant she wouldn’t be able to attend in person on Zoom, Hodgson brushed off her concerns.
Responding to the resignation of former climate minister Steven Guilbeault from cabinet owing to the energy deal, Hodgson praised the Alberta energy deal’s ‘agreement’ on climate policies like the industrial carbon tax and defended the lack of B.C. and Coastal First Nations consent for the potential pipeline.
Despite former environment minister’s resignation from cabinet, Liberals say caucus is united.
