Things haven’t exactly been peachy between Ottawa and Alberta over the past few years, but the two are willing to put differences aside in pursuit of a common goal: moving more oil.
Driving the news: The federal and Alberta governments are reportedly nearing a deal to build an oil pipeline that would bring Albertan black tea to the northwest B.C. coast for export, according to the Globe and Mail. It could be announced as soon as next weekend.
- The deal would likely be written up as a memorandum of understanding, which details a framework and formal commitments before the final legally binding contract.
- Alberta and Ottawa will look to private firms and Indigenous interests to provide funding and take ownership stakes in the roughly 400-kilometre-long project.
Why it matters: The Carney government has played ‘will-they-won’t-they’ with pipelines, but a deal with Alberta would be confirmation the fossil fuel infrastructure is, in fact, part of the government’s nation-building vision.
Yes, but: Any pipeline will surely cause friction with environmentalists, Indigenous nations, and the B.C. government. For the project to go through, the feds would have to waive a ban on oil tankers in northern B.C. waters, which Premier David Eby has ardently opposed.—QH