Oil and Gas Lobbyist Set to Win a Seat in Prince George

As his riding appears poised to elect a candidate who lobbied for the Coastal GasLink pipeline, a BC Green Party candidate in Prince George is calling for stronger conflict-of-interest regulations aimed at reducing corporate influence over government.

While B.C.’s Lobbyists Transparency Act requires a two-year “cooling-off period” before a public office holder can engage in lobbying, there is no similar restriction on lobbyists seeking public office.

“It raises all sorts of issues,” Green candidate James Steidle told The Tyee in an interview. “If I get elected, I’d like to close this loophole and require lobbyists to take a two-year pause before they run for public office.”

Steidle is running in Prince George-Mackenzie, a riding that has consistently elected BC Liberal candidates since it was formed 15 years ago.

Kiel Giddens, who recently worked as a lobbyist for Calgary-based oil and gas giant TC Energy, announced last year he would run for BC United in the northern riding. He moved to the Conservatives in early September after BC United folded its election run, replacing former Conservative candidate Rachael Weber.

A month ago, Giddens posted on LinkedIn that he was taking a leave of absence from TC Energy, the company responsible for building the Coastal GasLink pipeline, to run in the provincial election.

“I’ve spent over 11 years on this incredible project and I’m proud that this infrastructure will leave a lasting legacy for British Columbia,” Giddens said. “Canada’s new LNG industry will deliver B.C.’s natural gas to the world for a cleaner and more secure energy future while providing revenues for health care, infrastructure and communities for decades to come.”

Earlier this year, the Narwhal reported that another TC Energy lobbyist, Liam Iliffe, had boasted to colleagues during an internal presentation about his ability to influence government. Before joining TC Energy, Iliffe worked as a senior adviser to former B.C. premier John Horgan. He began lobbying for TC Energy within a year of leaving his government position, the Narwhal reported, apparently violating provincial lobbying laws.

In leaked recordings, Iliffe told his TC Energy colleagues that the company was given “opportunities to write entire briefing notes” that got “stuck on government letterhead” and sent to provincial ministers and premiers.

He also suggested the company places staff where they can “bump into” prominent decision-makers and added that this strategy was instrumental in persuading B.C. Premier David Eby to change course on addressing the climate crisis.

Eby’s office denied the claims, calling them “complete fabrications.” Iliffe has since left TC Energy, and B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma has asked the Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists to investigate.

Provincial lobbying records show that Giddens’ work as a lobbyist overlapped with Iliffe’s at TC Energy in 2023. On one occasion, in May 2023, Giddens lobbied the BC Energy Regulator alongside Iliffe on issues related to First Nations consultation, regulatory approvals and the environmental assessment process for two TC Energy pipelines.

The Tyee reached out to Giddens requesting an interview and sent emailed questions about whether he believed his work represents a conflict of interest, whether he supported Iliffe’s approach to lobbying or whether he agreed with Conservative Party of BC Leader John Rustad’s views that climate change is not a crisis.

In a brief emailed response, Giddens called Steidle’s comments “misinformation” but did not specify which statements were incorrect.

The Conservative candidate’s LinkedIn shows that he began working for TC Energy in 2013 after leaving a job with the B.C. government, which included working as chief of staff for the minister of transportation and infrastructure, then the minister of environment and finally the minister of Aboriginal relations.

According to B.C.’s lobbyists registry, Giddens lobbied the provincial government on behalf of TC Energy 29 times between April 2021 and September 2023, with his final meeting taking place less than a month before he announced his candidacy with BC United.

While TC Energy’s Coastal GasLink project reached mechanical completion last year and is poised to begin shipping gas next year, the company sold the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission line — a second pipeline slated for northern B.C. — to a partnership between the Nisga’a Nation and Western LNG earlier this year.

In an email, Elections BC senior communications adviser Melanie Hull said that any Canadian citizen 18 years or older who has lived in the province for at least six months is eligible to run in the upcoming election. Additional restrictions apply only to sitting court judges, federal members of Parliament and anyone disqualified by certain criminal convictions.

Hull said the office is aware of the situation in Prince George-Mackenzie but has not received a formal complaint. “We are not investigating this matter, as no apparent contravention of the Election Act has occurred,” she said.

Stewart Prest, a lecturer in political science at the University of British Columbia, said it’s important that provincial elections be open to anyone who wants to run.

“What we don't want is to have rules regarding who can and who can't stand for office,” Prest said. “For a democratic system to be open, it requires the possibility of participation for anyone who wants to get involved in the electoral processes as a candidate or as a voter.”

Prest said conflicts are usually addressed after an election, through proactive disclosure by the elected official. Things like personal investments can be addressed by moving them to a blind trust, where the investment is independently managed without the details being known to the elected official.

The Tyee recently reported that Eby’s investments are in accounts where “prior advice and contents of portfolio [are] not disclosed to the Member,” while Rustad is heavily invested in gold. All MLAs are required to make annual disclosures and provide updates when there are material changes to their finances.

MLAs can also recuse themselves from making decisions on issues that could present a conflict of interest, such as those related to their personal financial holdings or investment interests of close family members.

When elected officials don’t proactively disclose conflicts, the alternative is a complaint to the Office of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner, Prest said.

Prest added that conflict of interest is not always clearly defined. When it comes to housing policy, for example, “you could make the case that any MLA with a house can benefit from a housing policy that keeps prices high,” he said.

“At a certain point, we are all conflicted. We all have interests,” Prest said. “We can't disqualify anybody who has an affiliation from running for office, but we can find ways to deal with any real or apparent conflict of interest on specific issues.”

Steidle, a professional woodworker who has advocated to end glyphosate use in forestry, said he’d prefer voters knew of any potential conflicts before they elect somebody.

“Maybe he’s not even going to be an effective MLA” given the requirements of the Members’ Conflict of Interest Act, he added.

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