Prime Minister Mark Carney laid out his prerequisites for a new oil pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast in an appearance in Vancouver on Wednesday, shortly before meeting with B.C. Premier David Eby to make his case directly to the province’s government.
Carney set three conditions for the completion of a pipeline: That Alberta’s Pathway carbon-capture project be completed, that the project have “substantial financial benefit” for British Columbians, and that it fully respects Canada’s duty to consult under Section 35 of the Constitution.
After the speech, Carney and Eby appeared together ahead of their meeting, with the premier saying the province has agreed to enter into “negotiations” with the federal government on B.C.’s priorities moving forward.
“When I think about what I’m hoping for out of this meeting, it’s a fair share for British Columbia of federal investment that the prime minister is committed to for this country, and a fair share of federal enthusiasm for the projects that we’re bringing forward,” Eby said.
One shared priority is to expand electrical grid capacity through new infrastructure and energy-saving initiatives.
Eby made a related announcement the day before his meet-up with Carney, unveiling new financial incentives for homeowners to save energy. And BC Hydro has made two calls for power in the past two years as industrial electricity needs soar.
Carney made energy a major part of his speech to the Board of Trade, saying that Canada must leverage its access to clean, affordable, and reliable power to underpin its economy, calling for a doubling of grid capacity and major investments in provincial and territorial interties.
“When we master energy, we master our destiny,” he said.
Grid investments will likely figure prominently in Eby’s “negotiations,” though it is not clear yet what he is offering from B.C.
Standing beside Carney on Wednesday, he reiterated his opposition to rescinding the North Coast tanker ban, which would at least need an exemption if a new pipeline were to be constructed across northern B.C. — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s preferred route.
Smith signed an agreement with Carney last Friday to bring the pipeline one step closer to fruition, but has not settled on a route, and does not yet have — at least has not publicly announced — a willing proponent to build it.
She recently expressed openness to a southern route alongside the Trans Mountain pipeline, though she also said she prefers the northern route because North Coast ports are closer to Asian markets.
Carney’s goal appears to be avoiding the fate of other pipeline projects, such as the Trans Mountain Expansion, which was almost scuttled by court action.
“One of the benefits of actually sitting down and talking about these things as opposed to litigating about these things across federal government and provinces,” Carney told the Board of Trade, “is that it develops a shared understanding, a recognition of what needs to be done, an understanding of why this is the right thing to do, a commitment that goes beyond what’s written on the page.”