PM to cut trip short to talk pipeline
Trudeau, Notley, Horgan scheduled to meet on Sunday
OTTAWA — The federal government needs more face time with the main players in the Trans Mountain pipeline impasse to push the controversial expansion project forward, says Finance Minister Bill Morneau — a sentiment his boss obliged in dramatic fashion Thursday, moments before jetting off to Peru.
The door to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Airbus was barely closed before word emerged that he’d be back in Ottawa on Sunday to meet with the warring premiers of Alberta and B.C., 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, 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 recently, officials said on 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 oil 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 consult Indigenous communities and other stakeholders in approving the pipeline. A B.C. judge’s ruling on that is imminent.
In the meantime, Ottawa wants to reassure spooked investors after Kinder Morgan declared earlier 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.
An emergency cabinet meeting Tuesday yielded no specific results, but Morneau’s involvement suggests the government is leaning towards a financial solution.