VICTORIA — Documents show that the B.C. Liberal government knew by October 2012 that liquid natural gas development could break B.C.’s greenhouse gas reduction law, but has continued to hide that information from the public, say New Democrats.

“British Columbians deserve to have an informed conversation about the direction we are headed with LNG, but that can’t happen as long as the government continues to hide information and mislead the public,” said New Democrat environment critic Spencer Chandra Herbert.

“The B.C. Liberals brought in a greenhouse gas reduction law – they have a responsibility to follow it. Climate change has real costs for the province, and those costs need to be part of the public discussion on LNG.”

New Democrat natural gas development critic Robin Austin says the document, which was obtained by the New Democrat caucus through a Freedom of Information request, raises questions about what other LNG information the B.C. Liberal government is keeping secret.

“Given that the B.C. Liberals have been holding back information on LNG emissions for more than a year, it’s hard not to wonder what else they are hiding. Their projections for the number of plants that could be built and the revenue that could come to the province have always been in question, and they’ve missed their own deadlines to release the revenue framework for LNG,” said Austin.

“The best way to build support for LNG is to have an honest discussion about the benefits and impacts it will have on our province. The Liberals aren’t doing the industry any favours with their secretive approach.”