It's going to take nine years to build the Site C dam.
It looks as if the B.C. Liberals are going to talk about it for the entire time.
Not just because it looks to be one of those glorious multibillion-dollar monuments that any government would want to brag about.
Not just because it's a core part of what the Liberals are supposed to be all about - job creation.
It's also a handy wedge issue that illustrates the Opposition New Democrats' protracted inability to make up their minds about the project. The NDP's default position for the past several years is that the $9-billion project should have been sent to the B.C. Utilities Commission for an independent review of whether it's worthwhile.
That's a valid argument, but it also masks the fact that the party has never come out with a definitive position of its own on the project.
So with the agenda still empty in the early days of the fall session, the Liberals were only too happy on Wednesday to introduce a motion for debate: "That this house supports the construction of the Site C Clean Energy Project..."
Premier Christy Clark preceded that debate by going to great lengths to introduce Brad Bennett as the new chairman of the B.C. Hydro board. It's a fairly routine appointment, but Clark ordered up a photo op and news conference to maximize the resonance his last name has when it comes to B.C. energy policy.
His grandfather, W.A.C. Bennett, created B.C. Hydro as premier and built the first dam on the Peace River, which is now universally hailed as one of the most far-sighted moves ever made by a provincial government. His father, Bill, was premier when the second big dam on the Peace was finished in 1980.
Brad Bennett is the obvious choice to preside over the third one - if only for continuity.
"My family does have some history with the company," he acknowledged.
He's also got some history with the B.C. Liberals, as an adviser who rode the bus throughout the 2013 campaign, and has been an influential supporter of Clark.
Energy Minister Bill Bennett (no relation) opened the Site C debate by acknowledging that the Opposition's uncertainty is one of the main reasons for the motion.
"It's our obligation to say where we stand on the big issues," he said.
Bennett recounted a choice selection of quotes from NDP Leader John Horgan over his several years as energy critic.
Horgan has variously said that he gets excited about large projects like Site C, acknowledged his party has opposed it, confirmed that on paper it's the next best project and admitted he has taken many positions on Site C.
Horgan's stand on Wednesday was that the resolution is a political stunt and his party will oppose it.
The NDP will debate energy policy around B.C. and conclude it at their convention in November, he said.
In the meantime, B.C. doesn't need the energy today, and all the current jobs on the site are going to Albertans, he said. "This is bad policy and big politics."
During the spring session of the legislature, the Opposition was increasingly dubious about Site C.
"Risky gamble" ... "huge sacrifices"... "profound impacts on First Nations, massive loss of agricultural land"... "all the eggs in one basket"... "an $8.8-billion white elephant."
Bennett pulled a stunt in May similar to the move made Wednesday. He made a sudden ministerial statement announcing - gasp - that construction was about to begin on the most important infrastructure project in a generation.
That prompted a forerunner to Wednesday's debate, a vigorous exchange of views between him and NDP energy critic Adrian Dix that accomplished nothing.
Site C will never go to the utilities commission because that option was closed years ago and the work is already underway.
The NDP will remain skeptical and suspicious about the project because that's what Oppositions do.
And Liberals will delight in provoking that response.
Just So You Know: The subtext to the debate was explained by Brad Bennett himself at the podium of the B.C. Liberal convention last year in just four words.
The difference between the B.C. Liberals and the rest is "We get s--- done."
