Alberta’s push for a pipeline through northern B.C. is threatening to cause friction, even as leaders presented a united front after the First Ministers’ meeting.
Provincial and territorial leaders met with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Saskatoon on Monday, each bringing their own wish lists for major projects. The meeting occurred against the backdrop of a U.S. tariff war and the recently rekindled though not formally endorsed Alberta separatist movement.
Carney’s government is preparing legislation that would fast-track certain “nation-building” projects. After Monday’s meeting, Carney said the ministers discussed various projects, including those supporting a new western and Arctic energy corridor.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wants a pipeline carrying Alberta bitumen to the Port of Prince Rupert on B.C.’s north coast, presenting it as an issue of national unity.
Smith said the federal government needs to reconsider its “terrible policies,” which she argued create barriers for attracting proponents of future pipelines, including the ban on oil tankers in northern British Columbia waters.
B.C. Deputy Premier Niki Sharma attended the meeting while B.C. Premier David Eby is in Asia on a trade mission. Sharma emphasized that B.C. supports the “Team Canada” approach to economic development but said the province is looking toward “shovel-ready” projects, with a focus on clean energy and critical minerals.
“We have a difference of opinion about whether or not a bitumen pipeline should go, particularly in the northern part of the province,” Sharma told reporters Monday. “We’re going to be focusing on those projects that have proponents, that have a lot of First Nations alignment, that are ready to go.”
Sharma largely sidestepped questions about whether the B.C. government would support the federal government rolling back the oil tanker ban, saying only that it’s an important issue for residents of B.C.’s north coast.
It was Carney’s first meeting with the premiers since the federal election, and leaders sounded an optimistic tone overall.
“I’m going to be very blunt here: this has been the best meeting we’ve had in 10 years,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said after the gathering.
Smith, who has had a contentious relationship with Ottawa, said she was “encouraged” by the conversation’s tone.
“When we hear the prime minister talking about being an energy superpower, we haven’t heard that language in some time.”
The meeting ended without identifying specific projects the federal government plans to pursue. Carney said the list will be finalized in the coming weeks.
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