Smith pitches new pipeline to B.C. coast, promises plan coming to Ottawa by 2026

OTTAWA — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she hopes to see a new oil pipeline her government is pitching to British Columbia’s northern coast on the next list of nation-building projects from Prime Minister Mark Carney. 

Smith announced on Wednesday that her United Conservative Party government will lead the project through the planning stages as the proponent, with the assistance of a technical working group comprised of industry representatives, including three major energy companies: South Bow, Enbridge, and Trans Mountain.

Her move inches Carney’s government one step closer to having to decide whether to greenlight the construction of a new oil pipeline under the process his government ushered in to fast-track the approval of major energy and infrastructure projects.

Alberta’s goal is to submit its application to the new federal Major Projects Office no later than May 2026. That office has the mandate of helping proponents secure the necessary approvals through a more streamlined approach.

So far, an oil pipeline has not made it onto the federal government’s list of nation-building projects, which include expanding a liquefied natural gas terminal and two projects for mining critical minerals. Carney has promised that a second batch of projects will be announced by mid-November, which could include expanding the Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba. 

Critics have argued that when it comes to the question of approving a new pipeline, no proponents have yet come forward, rendering the question of whether Carney’s government should consider doing so moot.

Meanwhile, supporters, including Smith herself, blame a suite of federal Liberal energy policies, such as the emissions cap and tanker ban off B.C.’s northern coast, for blocking development.

Smith has called on Carney to scrap those policies, but also expressed a hopefulness in working with the prime minister, who has voiced an openness to seeing a new pipeline built, saying he wants to transform Canada into an “energy superpower.”

In a technical briefing before the official announcement, Alberta government officials emphasized that no company has yet come forward as a proponent and that a specific route has yet to be determined, but that it could run from Edmonton to Kitimat or Prince Rupert, B.C.

The ultimate goal from Alberta, provincial officials said, was for a private proponent to take on the project, but said the government was leading the planning phase because no company was ready to do so, given past unsuccessful attempts to get one built, from Energy East to Keystone XL and the Northern Gateway projects.

The officials also clarified that talks have been ongoing for several weeks with the federal government and that Carney’s government was aware that Alberta would be coming forward as a proponent, as was B.C.’s government, which supports the oil tanker ban off its coast.

During a news conference, Smith said she phoned B.C. NDP Premier David Eby about her proposal.

Speaking before Smith’s announcement, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the federal government would wait and see what the Alberta government proposes, saying he would not respond to hypotheticals.

“I’ve been participating, and the prime minister has been leading very constructive discussions with Premier Smith and the Government of Alberta about the importance of the Alberta economy to Canada’s economic strength, including the energy sector, including conventional energy sources,” he told reporters earlier on Wednesday.

Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault, who previously served as environment minister under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, told reporters that for a project to be included on the federal list of nation-building projects, it must be more than an “idea.”

He added that for a pipeline to be run through B.C.’s northern coast, the provincial government and First Nations along the route would have to agree.

More to come … 

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