As Prime Minister Mark Carney heads into negotiations with B.C. Premier David Eby over the province’s economic priorities, he cautioned that debate over a contentious new pipeline cannot go on indefinitely. The two leaders held a closed-door meeting in Vancouver on Wednesday, shortly after the Prime Minister spoke at a breakfast for business leaders, where he touted his government’s plans to expand critical minerals mining and liquid natural gas projects in B.C.
Carney emphasized that while the proposed pipeline from Alberta’s oil sands to B.C.’s North Coast aims to address energy needs, environmentalists and Indigenous leaders remain skeptical. An agreement signed last week between Ottawa and Alberta would see construction begin as early as next year, despite no agreed route and no private proponent. Ottawa will “adjust to what people want,” but Carney argued his government doesn’t want to hear what people are against—only what they’re for. If things get stalled in B.C., we’ll be spending more time elsewhere in the country because we need to move forward.
Eby criticized Carney for rewarding Danielle Smith’s government for its “bad behavior” as it helps facilitate an upcoming referendum on separation. He highlighted that Canada cannot work if “separatist premiers” get all of Ottawa’s attention. One of the concerns Eby raised was the federal government’s current North Coast tanker moratorium, which he said must remain in place. This would effectively close off any pipeline route to the province’s northern coast.
While Ottawa supports the pipeline, Eby urged Carney to focus more on critical minerals projects already earmarked for B.C. He stated that he wants to see a fair share of federal investment in those areas and a fair share of enthusiasm for the projects being brought forward. Carney added that negotiations with other provinces to support the carbon market will take place in the coming weeks.
During the morning event at the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, Carney also discussed Ottawa’s recent plans to double Canada’s electricity generation capacity and efforts to address housing affordability. He referenced agreements with the Government of Ontario to eliminate sales tax on home purchases and cut municipal development fees on new housing construction. These savings could represent almost $200,000 on the purchase price of a home, Carney noted, adding that Ottawa is in early stages of discussions with B.C. on a similar agreement.
