Government Must Commit to Pipeline MoU
I was interviewed on CBC’s The Eyeopener on December 10 about the Conservatives’ attempt to get the Liberals to formally commit to the pipeline MoU.
I made the point that delays are baked into the MoU: it is essentially an agreement to make seven more agreements.
This will only happen – let alone “build at extraordinary speed” as the PM promised – if the government’s leadership is determined to get started now and get it done expeditiously.
They voted against the motion. We need to see their commitment.
Listen to the interview here:
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For Further Reference
The motion used the exact words from the MoU. When the Liberals complained that some words from the MoU were missing from the motion, Conservatives amended the motion to include the missing words (Indigenous and BC consultation). Liberals still voted against. Here is the motion:
- that the House:
- Take note of the Memorandum of Understanding between Canada and Alberta of November 27, 2025; and
- supports the construction of one or more pipelines enabling the export of at least one million barrels a day of low emission Alberta bitumen from a strategic deep-water port on the British Columbia coast to reach Asian markets including
(i) through an appropriate adjustment to the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, while respecting the duty to consult Indigenous Peoples.
(ii) Green lighting the world’s largest carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) project for the purpose of making Alberta oil among the lowest carbon intensity produced barrels of oil in the world.”
(iii) providing meaningful opportunity for Indigenous rightsholders to participate in consultation processes and economic opportunities through Indigenous ownership, partnerships and benefits,
(iv) engaging with British Columbia immediately in a trilateral discussion on the pipeline project, and during the potential development and construction of the bitumen pipeline referred to in the MOU, and to further the economic interests of B.C. related to their own projects of interest that involve the province of Alberta, including interties, and Canada working with B.C. on other projects of national interest in their jurisdiction.