Tom Mulcair's NDP firmly against Northern Gateway pipeline

NDP Leader Tom Mulcairmaintains the Northern Gateway pipelinewill never get built, a day ahead of the National Energy Board's report on the Enbridgeproject.

A panel reviewing the environmental effects of the pipeline is expected to make public its recommendations for theproject on Thursday in Calgary.

"We will maintain our firm opposition to the Northern Gateway pipeline," Mulcair told reporters during a year-end news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday.

You can't just ... say, "This is going through." This is the Conservative way and, by the way, that's why Northern Gateway is never going to get built.- NDP Leader Tom Mulcair

If approved, the pipeline would transportoil from Alberta toKitimat, where it would be moved through tankers in the Douglas Channel.

"Allowing super tankers into the Douglas Channel is madness, and it should not take place," Mulcair said.

Aside from the risk of spills, Mulcair said the federal government has failed to consult First Nations thatwould be impacted by the project.

"The pipeline itself suffers from one major flaw, which is the fact that we're not dealing with First Nations a nation-to-nation basis," Mulcair said.

"Weshould never have wasted public money on this study," the NDPleader added.

"You can no longer impose these things from the top down. This is another era. You need social adhesion, you need to work with people. You can't just bark at them and say, 'This is going through.'

"This is the Conservative way and, by the way, that's why Northern Gateway is never going to get built."

The Joint Review Panel wrapped up almost 18 months ofpublic hearings throughout B.C. and Alberta in June.

The fate of the pipeline rests with thefederal government which has up to 180 days to decide whether it ought to be built once the joint panel issues its report.