Not everyone is upset with the Keystone XL pipeline set back.

Gil McGowan, the President of the Alberta Federation of Labour, says Premier Redford should be looking at this as an opportunity, not a disappointment.

“We in the Alberta labour movement actually applaud President Obama’s decision to put a hold on the Keystone XL pipeline,” says McGowan. “In fact, we’d like to see it cancelled all together.”

McGowan feels the province should be finding ways to move up the value ladder in terms of refining and upgrading our raw bitumen, instead of shipping it south of the border, along with high paying jobs.

“It’s a vision for the future which I think is supported by the vast majority of Albertans – – which I’m convinced is the way we should go because it would provide a much stronger economic foundation going forward as opposed to continually selling our resources at the lowest possible level in terms of the value chain.”

McGowan says most of the energy companies calling for the export of raw bitumen are American companies based in the states, and it’s in their interests to send it down to their plants, south of the border.

iNews880am, Fri Nov 11 2011