Is the BC NDP government willing to consider a new oil pipeline to the West Coast as part of Canada’s national economic response to American tariffs?
The answer, from Premier David Eby, depended on when you asked Thursday.
When sitting beside other premiers at the closing media event of the Western Premiers’ Conference in Yellowknife, Eby and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith contorted themselves into verbal pretzels to appear supportive of each other’s positions on pipelines.
Eby at one point shot down the issue as a future hypothetical notion not worth discussion—as if new oil pipelines were not part of a recent separatism ultimatum from Alberta and a perpetual sore point between the two provinces dating back to when Eby as attorney general tried to block the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion in court.
“If Premier Smith is able to convince the federal government to build another pipeline through British Columbia, or a private proponent, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it,” said Eby.
The vague statement allowed for premiers to pivot into the areas they do agree upon, namely expanding rail capacity from Manitoba to the Port of Prince Rupert, and creating new energy interties to swap clean power back and forth between provinces.
“I am greatly encouraged by the conversation we had today, especially when it comes down to finding areas of common interest,” said Smith.
“Obviously, I'd like to see pipelines built. But we had really constructive conversations about interties built so that we could have electricity coming back and forth from Manitoba all the way through to British Columbia and back again. And when you look at the rail line, there's just such an extraordinary opportunity for all of the provinces to export all of our products out of the Port of Prince Rupert.”
The message from the premiers appeared to be: Everyone has their own priorities but together we’ll figure out what’s best for the country.
“I know that Danielle's priority is to get heavy oil to tidewater, she is very unambiguous about that,” said Eby.
“My priority is to get B.C. electricity to as many places as possible, to help decarbonize and to drive our economy in British Columbia. Every one of these premiers has their own priorities, and we recognize in this moment, as Canadians, we've got to work together, and we've got to work together in a moment of crisis.”
At least, that was the line when the premiers were sitting together.
Once the press conference ended, Eby took questions from B.C. media and was asked again whether he’d consider a new pipeline. This time, the answer was different.
“No, we’re opposed,” he said.
Apparently, bridge found and bridge crossed.
Eby said the current Trans Mountain pipeline is not being used to full capacity (estimates have it at around 80 per cent) and that should be the first priority before anything new.
“To be honest, I don't see that that is the priority, given that there is no project proposed, there is no proponent for the project, and while it is an interesting and divisive issue for people to think about as a thought experiment, it is not currently on the table,” he said.
“What is on the table is we do have a pipeline that was forced through over B.C. objections that exist—it's owned by taxpayers—that is not being used to capacity and that feels like a much better place to start the conversation than a sort of theoretical project proposal that divides us.”
Technically hypothetical, but politically very real, the B.C. government can only avoid the pipeline issue for so long.
In just a few two weeks, premiers will be talking to Prime Minister Mark Carney directly about the issue at the first minister's meeting in Saskatoon. And it’s going to get very real, very quickly.
Rob Shaw has spent more than 17 years covering B.C. politics, now reporting for CHEK News and writing for The Orca/BIV. He is the co-author of the national bestselling book A Matter of Confidence, host of the weekly podcast Political Capital, and a regular guest on CBC Radio.
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