EDMONTON - The Alberta government threatened last month to "ban" Ottawa from holding the G8 Summit in Kananaskis Country and to interfere with security planning for the event if it did not get its way in a dispute over cost sharing.
A memorandum leaked yesterday by Alberta's Opposition Liberals reveals an atmosphere of distrust and confrontation between Alberta and Ottawa, which have yet to sign a deal on who will pay for what when bills for the June 27-28 summit come in.
The memo -- dated April 5 and sent to Heather Forsyth, Alberta's Solicitor-General -- advises a variety of pressure tactics the province could use in trying to extract concessions on such issues as prosecution costs and liability for third-party damages.
Among other stratagems, it suggests banning federal officials from the summit site, going public with the province's grievances and linking the dispute to other flashpoints in relations with Ottawa. The document cites the Kyoto Protocol, health care funding and softwood lumber as issues Alberta could tie to the negotiations.
However, the document's most incendiary suggestions involve strategies that would interfere with efforts to ensure the gathering is secure from violence and terrorism.
"Alberta will advise Canada that unless there are immediate steps taken to come to some agreement, we will consider withholding leaseholder consent," said the memo, which was written by Debbie Malloy, a special advisor to Ms. Forsyth. "This would mean the Department of National Defence and in some cases, the RCMP, may have to find alternate lodging for the event.
"We also hold leases on the land on the perimeter of the red zone that is designated for perimeter barriers [fences and RCMP/DND security control]. Withholding the use of this land could cause some serious logistical problems for the security planning team."
Ms. Forsyth confirmed yesterday that the government used the threats, but said the tactics brought the two sides closer to an agreement.
The two parties are past the point where such measures are on the table, she said.
"I think we had to take a tough stand," the Minister added. "I have to say, [there was] a lot of frustration on my part with not being able to move forward. We had come to the point where we had to make a tough stand and say, 'Look, this is our province. You can't just move in and have a party without having the input of what the Solicitor-General wants, what the Intergovernmental Affairs Minister wants.' We had some issues we wanted dealt with."
The memo voices similar frustration with Ottawa, decrying the feds' refusal to indemnify the province against certain damage by protesters or security expenses.
"The Alberta lawyers are of the opinion that the federal officials are attempting to wear Alberta down in the hope that we agree to their proposals," Ms. Malloy wrote. "Alberta needs to determine where to 'draw the line in the sand.' ... Is Alberta prepared to take the position that if the framework agreement and the security memorandum of agreement are not signed by a certain date, we will ban the federal officials from holding the G8 Summit in Alberta? If we are prepared to take this stand then the lawyers will be poised to negotiate aggressively with federal officials."
News of the memo set off an instant controversy in Edmonton, where opposition politicians denounced the Tory government for suggesting it would interfere with security planning.
"This is very inappropriate, it is not acceptable," said Ken Nicol, the Liberal leader. "In the context of these international meetings, any kind of security has to be taken seriously and has to be provided for everybody. That is a fundamental obligation of a free society, of a democracy."
In Ottawa, federal officials offered a conciliatory response, noting that the two sides are still negotiating. Reading from a prepared statement, Michael O'Shaughnessy, the government's G8 spokesman, said talks are progressing smoothly.
"We expect to reach agreement on most of these issues in the near future," he said.
Ms. Forsyth concurred, but said Ottawa failed to take Alberta's concerns seriously from the start about an event whose price tag is expected to exceed $300-million.
The cost of prosecuting protesters arrested for violence or property damage has been sticking point between the two governments, she said. Alberta politicians have blanched at numbers emerging in the wakes of past international gatherings, such as last year's Summit of the Americas in Quebec City.
The cost of prosecuting Jaggi Singh, a protest organizer who was charged in Quebec with participating in a riot and violating bail conditions, has reached $860,000, she noted -- an amount Alberta does not want to have to spend.
"We have some [negotiating tools] in our back pocket which we can still use," Ms. Forsyth said.
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