BEXTE: Carney and Smith Cut Alberta Energy Deal That Hopefully Leaves BC On The Sidelines
Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith have signed a sweeping new memorandum of understanding, (MOU), that clears the path for a one million barrel per day pipeline to Asia.
UPDATE: Asked today about a BC Government and/or First Nations ‘veto’ of a new pipeline, Mark Carney refused to provide a clear answer.
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith have signed a sweeping new memorandum of understanding, (MOU), that clears the path for a one million barrel per day pipeline to Asia. The document gives British Columbia consultation, but Premier David Eby receives no veto and no approval authority.
The MOU says Canada and Alberta will “engage with British Columbia immediately in a trilateral discussion on the pipeline project.” This is participation only. It does not require BC consent.
Eby can sit at the table, but he cannot block the project. He cannot interfere with the federal approval process under the Building Canada Act. He cannot prevent tanker rule changes if Ottawa decides they are necessary.
Ottawa is taking full control of approvals. The federal release states that “upon receipt of a proposal from the Government of Alberta, the Government of Canada will provide a clear and efficient approval process under the Building Canada Act.”
Alberta’s release backs this up and promises “agreement that the parties will work together to facilitate the application, approval and construction” of the pipeline.
None of this explicitly gives BC a stopping mechanism, but Eby will be kicking and screaming.
BC is included only for consultation with First Nations and for discussions about economic benefits. The province is not granted authority over the route, the tankers, or any federal regulatory decisions.
Do not expect Eby to take this quietly. He has fought almost every major energy project in the last decade. He has opposed tanker traffic, backed lawsuits, and aligned himself with activist groups that want pipelines buried forever. That history is not going away.
Expect environmental objections. Expect legal bluster. Expect delay tactics. Expect Eby to test every limit of the agreement. The MOU appears designed to manage exactly this behaviour, with a two year approval target and a plan to streamline overlapping federal and provincial reviews.
Carney and Smith are signalling that national interest will no longer bend to BC obstruction. Alberta wants export access. Ottawa wants energy diversification. BC wants leverage, but the MOU does not give it.
The next move belongs to Eby, and his reaction will dictate how fierce this political fight becomes. Juno News will continue monitoring Victoria’s response.
How best to defeat a project. Agree to it and then do nothing to make it happen. Exactly what Carnage and the Liebrals are going to do.
Smoke and Mirrors! PR for the Liberals