‘A change in government doesn’t change the facts’: PM firm on support for pipeline
Justin Trudeau on Saturday reiterated his commitment to making sure Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline actually gets built, despite the election of an NDP-Green government in British Columbia opposed to its construction.
When asked how far he would be willing to go in the face of potential opposition from B.C., Trudeau said he continues to think getting the pipeline expansion project, also known as TMX, built is in the best interest of all Canadians.
“The decision we made to support Kinder Morgan pipeline, to move forward with the TMX in terms of getting our oil resources to new markets, was not based on politics. It was based on facts, on evidence, on what is in the best interests of the country. A change in government doesn’t change the facts,” Trudeau said.
The prime minister made the comments while attending the Calgary Stampede.
The NDP and Greens, who are about to take power in B.C. after 11 years of Liberal rule, have said they will do everything necessary, including withholding provincial permits and taking court action, to stop the pipeline.
B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan becomes premier on Tuesday, at which point he will face even more pressure from Alberta-based oil companies, not to mention Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, to change his position on Trans Mountain. In his home province, he will have a resurgent environmental movement and many Indigenous groups who are passionately opposed.
For now, though, the prime minister is offering no specifics on what, if anything, he’s willing to do to try to bridge the divide between B.C. and Alberta while he advocates for Trans Mountain.
“I think all Canadians understand that being captive of only the U.S. market for our oil resources is not necessarily the best thing. We’ve seen a certain level of unpredictability perhaps in the U.S. governance lately, and I think we know that we need to be able to diversify.
“That’s why the Kinder Morgan pipeline, done responsibly, done as part of a context of a pan-Canadian framework to fight climate change, is the right path forward for all Canadians,” Trudeau said.