VICTORIA— New Democrat leader John Horgan is raising concerns that Premier Christy Clark will give away more British Columbian jobs and economic benefits in order to get an LNG deal before the next election.

“Christy Clark’s priority isn’t the people of British Columbia, it’s her own political future. It’s clear she will sell out B.C. families in order to get a deal signed before the election to build even one LNG plant, even if it means re-opening the sweetheart deal she already made with Petronas. That deal failed to guarantee any jobs for British Columbians, and practically gives away our province’s precious resources,” said Horgan.

Horgan said the news that Petronas may be trying to walk away from the project altogether, coupled with Clark’s LNG minister musing about renegotiating the agreement, means British Columbians should be very worried about how far she is willing to go to secure a deal before the next election.

While Premier Clark is saying to the public the deal is “done and dusted,” her minister in charge of LNG is saying the opposite and is making plans to give even more away. LNG minister Rich Coleman recently told Business in Vancouver magazine he is preparing to “…restart our discussions in and around our project development agreement… The numbers have really got to be tightened down.”

The morning after the federal government gave the green light to the Pacific Northwest LNG project Coleman told a private audience, “Now we can sit down and negotiate to get [Petronas] to a final investment decision.”

“British Columbians have seen broken promises on every front from Premier Clark when it comes to LNG, from her promise to have an LNG export terminal up and running by 2015, to creating 100,000 jobs and putting $100 billion from LNG into a ‘prosperity fund,’ to promising the ‘world’s cleanest’ LNG,” said Horgan.

“Christy Clark says one thing in public and her minister says the opposite. British Columbians know they can’t believe a word Premier Christy Clark says about LNG, so why should they believe her now?

“British Columbians need real, lasting sustainable jobs now by investing in renewable energy, transit, infrastructure and high tech.”