B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson on Tuesday slammed Premier John Horgan for the federal government’s decision to purchase the Trans Mountain Expansion Project.

Wilkinson said: “British Columbians and all Canadians will now be paying for the construction of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project. This unprecedented action taken by the federal government is entirely a consequence of the actions of John Horgan.

“John Horgan picked a fight with Alberta and provoked a constitutional crisis with Ottawa over this project and this is now the embarrassing result. The lack of leadership on this issue is now fully evident. Horgan and the NDP continue to play politics with British Columbia’s future, and this time it will cost us billions.

“The Premier has failed in everything he set out to do – the pipeline will proceed, but at taxpayers’ expense. Relations with Ottawa, Alberta and the business community have been severely damaged. The NDP are proving to be a reckless government and they have accomplished nothing at all on the pipeline issue.

“This is a critical project that should have been built and owned by the private sector. Now, British Columbians and Canadians are left paying for Horgan’s historic blunder.”