TRUDEAU TO MEETWITH NOTLEY, HORGAN

PM to interrupt foreign trip for pipeline talks

OTTAWA • The door to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plane to Peru was barely closed Thursday before word emerged that he’d be back in Ottawa on Sunday to meet with the warring premiers of Alberta and British Columbia.

Trudeau is hoping to rescue the $7.4-billion project and defuse one of the most politically perilous crises of his time in office.

The government has every legal right to press ahead with the expansion, but the road blocks being thrown up by B.C. Premier John Horgan — emboldened by environmental groups — demand more talks with the provinces and pipeline architect Kinder Morgan, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said in Toronto.

“Certainly there are legal and regulatory obstacles that have been creating financial risks to this project, and we need to consider how we as a federal government can absolutely assure that this moves forward,” he said.

“We will be considering all options.”

Trudeau will sit down Sunday in Ottawa with Horgan and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley — a diversion from his original itinerary, which had him flying directly to Europe from Peru, where he’s attending the 8th Summit of the Americas, beginning Friday.

Trudeau has held several phone conversations with both leaders in recent days and weeks — two with each just in the last few days, officials said Thursday — but critics have been pushing him for an in-person meeting, particularly with Horgan, whose opposition is the main reason for Kinder Morgan’s cold feet.

Horgan has pledged to do whatever it takes to kill the pipeline; earlier this year, he floated the idea of a regulation that would limit how much bitumen could flow through it. Ottawa has jurisdiction over pipeline projects, but a legal challenge on that score would mean more delays.

B.C. is also party to a lawsuit that alleges Ottawa failed to properly consult Indigenous communities and other stakeholders in approving the pipeline. A B.C. judge is expected to rule on that any day now.

In the meantime, Ottawa wants to reassure spooked investors after Kinder Morgan declared this week it would freeze spending on the project until sufficient assurances could be made. The company has given the government a deadline of May 31 to convince it to go ahead.