Eby doubles down on opposition to Alberta-backed pipeline project
British Columbia Premier David Eby doubled down Wednesday on his opposition to a proposed new pipeline expansion backed by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
British Columbia Premier David Eby doubled down Wednesday on his opposition to a proposed new pipeline expansion backed by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
The B.C. NDP Premier called the idea “taxpayer funded” and “politically driven,” and claimed no private backing exists for the project.
Speaking at a press conference in Victoria alongside MLA Ravi Parmar, Eby said his message to both Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Smith has been consistent: “There is no project proponent.”
“This is a taxpayer-funded initiative by the taxpayers of Alberta, currently proposed to also be the taxpayers of Canada through the publicly owned Trans Mountain Pipeline project as well,” he said.
“This proposal… comes at the expense of real private sector projects that are going to lift our economy and lift the national economy.”
Eby also warned that any pipeline would require lifting the long-standing oil tanker ban on the northern B.C. coast, a measure he described as “foundational” to British Columbians and First Nations.
He noted that the province has already secured First Nations consent for “literally tens of billions of dollars of major projects that are real… that will drive forward the B.C. and Canadian economy for years to come.”
In response to suggestions that Ottawa could override provincial objections, Eby emphasized that the federal government should remain focused on supporting economically viable and shovel-ready private sector projects.
“Let’s focus on those shovel-ready projects with real proponents that don’t have to be funded by taxpayers,” he said.
In a third exchange on the topic Premier Eby was asked if he plans to oppose Alberta’s upcoming pipeline project application directly through his government or indirectly through first nations, to which he described the project bid as a “direct threat to the kind of economy we are trying to build.”
Premier Smith is expected to make a major energy announcement later today.
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