After Prime Minister Mark Carney explicitly said he supports building a pipeline if the consensus in Canada exists for one, members of his newly formed cabinet appear to have differing views on the issue as they gathered for their first meeting on Wednesday.
When asked whether pipelines will continue to be a source of tension between Ottawa and Alberta, former environment minister and current Minister of Canadian Identity Steven Guilbeault pointed to falling demand for oil in the coming years.
“I think before we start talking about building an entire new pipeline, maybe we should maximize the use of existing infrastructure,” Guilbeault said, later adding: “As far as I know, there are no investors right now. There are no companies that are saying that they want to build an East-West pipeline.”
Newly appointed Secretary of State for Rural Development Buckley Belanger, who represents Saskatchewan, meanwhile, called this moment an “exciting time for our oil and gas sector.”
“Our prime minister is now saying we’re going to work in the provinces, and they’ll have the environmental authority to approve pipelines as we move forward,” Belanger said. “He is reaching out to a lot of the provinces in the partnership mode.”
In an exclusive interview with CTV News’ Chief Political Correspondent Vassy Kapelos on Tuesday – his first since becoming prime minister – Carney went further than he previously has on his position on pipelines.
“If you want a simple answer on ‘Will I support building a pipeline?’ Yes. That simple answer. I’ve given that multiple times,” Carney told Kapelos, while adding that a pipeline alone is “not enough to make Canada an energy superpower.”
In his party’s platform, Carney committed to build Canada “into an energy superpower that combines our conventional energy resources with our unlimited potential when it comes to clean, affordable energy.” However, during the campaign, he left the door open on whether or not that includes pipelines.
Back in April, during an interview with Radio-Canada program Tout le Monde en parle, Carney said in French, “We have to choose a few projects, a few big projects, not necessarily pipelines, but maybe pipelines. We’ll see.”
Meanwhile, public and political support for new oil and gas pipelines has grown across the country to reduce Canada‘s reliance on the United States after President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs.
Speaking to reporters, new Natural Resources and Energy Minister Tim Hodgson – who previously worked as the chair for Hydro One – said “we look forward to building and I look forward to digging in.”
“I look forward to working with my provincial and territorial counterparts, our Indigenous partners, our industrial partners and other stakeholders to build more prosperous, secure and safe Canada,” he added.
Premiers respond to Carney’s changing tone on C-69, emissions cap
Debate over pipelines and natural resources has also been front and centre when it comes to national unity concerns.
In his interview with CTV News, Carney also said he would be open to changing contentious Trudeau-era environmental policies, such as the emissions cap on oil and gas, and Bill C-69, the 2019 law that changed the environmental review process for designated energy projects to weigh environmental and social issues when approving or rejecting a project.
Both Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe have said those policies inhibit their provinces’ economic success.
“We will change things at the federal level that need to be changed in order for projects to move forward,” Carney told Kapelos.
Asked about those comments from the prime minister, Guilbeault – who has long defended both policies – said “these are important conversations that we will need to have in the in the coming weeks.”
In a statement to CTV News, Smith said she is “glad that the prime minister has clearly stated that he supports building a pipeline and has acknowledged that there are issues with the Liberals anti-resource and anti-development policies like bill C-69 and the oil and gas production cap.”
But Smith also said she is “alarmed” by Guilbeault’s comments on Wednesday that push back against the need to build more pipelines.
“These mixed messages from the Liberal government are not helpful in resetting the relationship between Ottawa and Alberta. So, I hope the prime minister was sincere in his comments made yesterday and that he disavows the comments made by Minister Steven Guilbeault today,” Smiths’ statement went on to say.
At a media availability in Toronto on Wednesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said getting rid of C-69 is a way to keep Canada competitive.
“(C-69) doesn’t allow all of us across the country to move forward in a rapid speed, and I really appreciate what Prime Minister Carney mentioned yesterday,” Ford said. “I personally feel he’s going to move quick, but we all have to move quick.”
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, alongside Ford, said he wants to see “big nation-building projects” get done.
“We all want a clean, safe, healthy environment for the future generations of Canada. We all love that as Canadians,” Kinew said. “I just think it’s important for the prime minister to respond to the current moment and ensure that these big job-creating economic projects can move forward in a good way.”
