Despite the ongoing tension between Alberta and British Columbia over the Trans Mountain pipeline project, Premier Rachel Notley said she’s been told directly by the prime minister that he will back up his decision to approve it.
Notley told reporters Wednesday after her speech at the Global Petroleum Show that she spoke to Justin Trudeau on June 2nd with regards to the project.
“He once again assured me that the federal government is completely committed to moving forward with the pipeline,” she said. “I feel very confident that we have the undivided and unequivocal support of the federal government on this matter.”
During her keynote address, Notley talked about the importance of the oil sands in conjunction with the government’s climate change leadership plan.
“I have very little time for any conversation that seeks to shut down or significantly limit our oilsands,” she said during the speech.
While she may have Trudeau’s backing, she has tons of opponents to the West, including B.C. NDP counterpart John Horgan, who is expected to become the premier, in the agreement to form a minority government with the Green Party.
Horgan has previously said he’ll use “every tool in the toolbox” to stop Trans Mountain and Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver has said Notley should get with the program and embrace the 21st century.
The president of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs has said the project would never see the light of day, other First Nations groups have written letters to bands not to provide funding to Kinder Morgan and Weaver has cited section 35 of the Constitution as a way to stop the project.
But Notley said it would be premature to start evaluating the tactics opponents in B.C. could make versus their own in court, referencing that Alberta has been granted intervener status in judicial review of the project.
She was also asked if Trudeau discussed just how far he would go to get the project done.
“We didn’t get into a big conversation about tactics, but he indicated that he is still very much committed to seeing the matter through,” she said.
