Palin talks hockey, hunting, fishing

TORONTO—She may have been lambasted by late-night comedians for her lack of foreign policy experience, but Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin seems to know a thing or two about Canada.
In an interview with CTV’s Canada AM today, the failed Republican vice-presidential candidate said her home state and Canada have a lot in common.

“We have our love of hockey, our love of the great outdoors and hunting and fishing, and all those things that really attract us to this northern part of our globe,” Palin noted.
During her vice-presidential campaign, Palin’s “the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull is lipstick” comment earned her a lot of fans among Canadian hockey moms.
She mentioned a more practical reason for her and fellow Alaskans to know something about their next-door neighbour: “. . . we drive through your country to get even to our own state capital.”
“I would like to work together as we find more things in common to have a mutually-beneficial relationship between our wonderful state and the wonderful country of America and your wonderful country,” she said.
During her campaign, Palin became a lightning rod for fierce debates on issues ranging from her lack of preparedness for the vice-presidential office to reports about her expensive wardrobe makeover.
Canada also added to her long list of campaign mishaps.
Shortly before the U.S. election, a pair of Quebec comedians managed to get through to the Alaska governor on the pretence she would be speaking with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. They chatted her up for more than six minutes.
Still, Palin has emerged as an international celebrity, with hundreds of requests for interviews and offers to write books. Turning down invitations from power stars like Oprah, Jay Leno, and David Letterman has helped keep Palin in the headlines.
In the interview with CTV, Palin commented on something else Canada and Alaska have in common—energy resources.
In September, with overwhelming support from Alaskan state Democrats, Palin signed a bill authorizing the state to award a licence to TransCanada Corp. to begin developing a pipeline that will carry natural gas from Alaska’s North Slope to Alberta.
The bill doesn’t guarantee construction, but it allows TransCanada to proceed with federal permit applications.
If approved, the project would ship 4.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily. It’s estimated to cost between $26 billion and $30 billion, and TransCanada hopes to have the pipeline in service by September, 2018.
“This has been long hoped for, prayed about, wished for about 50 years,” said Palin, calling the Canadian corporation “an amazing company we’re so excited to get to work with.”
Palin said the new pipeline will increase the U.S. domestic supply of energy by about seven percent.
Palin has been heralded by some conservatives as the future of the Republican party. But she’s keeping her cards close to her chest on her political future.
“Some days, politics makes me roll my eyes and say ‘I don’t know if politics are in my future,’” she admitted.
“If there are platforms, opportunities for me to be able to effect positive change in people’s lives, whether that’s political or in another venue, I’ll embrace that and I will go forth in that direction.
“But I don’t know if it’s going to be politics. I don’t know if I’ll be running for president in 2012.”