B.C. Premier David Eby says he and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have different priorities on moving heavy oil to tidewater, adding that while Western premiers back an economic corridor, it’s still early to revisit the Northern Gateway pipeline project.
Eby made the comments at a press conference on May 22, following a meeting among Western premiers in Yellowknife, where they discussed trade, Arctic security, energy security, and other issues. Eby said that while all premiers have different priorities, they have agreed to “work together in a moment of crisis,” referring to trade tensions with the United States.
“I know that Danielle’s priority is to get heavy oil to tidewater, she is very unambiguous about that,” Eby told reporters. “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.”
He said that if Smith reached an agreement with Ottawa to build another pipeline through British Columbia, “we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Alberta oil currently flows through British Columbia via the Trans Mountain pipeline, which runs from Edmonton to Burnaby, B.C., to facilitate overseas exports. Ottawa bought the pipeline in 2018 for about $4.5 billion to ensure the completion of its expansion. The expanded pipeline became operational in 2024, with total costs reaching around $34 billion.
The pipeline ran close to full capacity last month, according to an analysis of oil tanker activity in British Columbia by the Royal Bank of Canada.
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When asked about his position on lifting the oil tanker ban off the B.C. coast, Eby said conversations about the revival of the Northern Gateway pipeline should wait until the Trans Mountain pipeline is operating at full capacity, “rather than opening up the pristine north coast to tanker traffic.”
The federal government in 2019 banned the traffic of large oil tankers off British Columbia’s north coast, citing the environmental risk of oil spills. The ban, first proposed in 2015 by then-prime minister Justin Trudeau upon taking office, ended prospects for the Northern Gateway pipeline, which would have transported oil from Bruderheim, Alta., to Kitimat on B.C.’s north coast.
“It’s my personal feelings as the premier of British Columbia,” Eby said. “I know that Premier Smith has a different perspective about that, and that’s okay. We’re going to work together.”
Pipeline development has received growing attention in recent months amid U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods, as Alberta has limited paths to export its oil and gas, having to sell its energy products to the United States at a discount.
The Alberta government has many times expressed discontent over policies from the Liberal government it says prevent resource development and hinder its economy. Ahead of the April 28 federal election, Smith called on Canada’s next prime minister to address a number of her province’s demands to avoid an “unprecedented national unity crisis.”
Among those demands were lifting the oil tanker ban and repealing the Impact Assessment Act, which she says has effectively halted pipeline projects.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier this month that he would support pipeline creation if a consensus is reached, adding that he can help build that consensus.
Meanwhile, two of his cabinet ministers have struck a different tone. Canadian Identity Minister Steven Guilbeault, formerly the environment and climate change minister, said on May 14 there is no need for new pipelines if the Trans Mountain pipeline is not operating at full capacity. Later, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said discussions about energy corridors do not necessarily involve pipelines.
At the May 22 press conference, Smith said that in addition to building pipelines, expanding export markets for other products is also a priority for Alberta, adding she was encouraged by the willingness of Western premiers to collaborate on areas of common interest.
“To be able to have those conversations where we can find those common areas of interest, I think is very important,” she said. “I think that we’ll be able to find a lot of common ground.”
Noé Chartier contributed to this report.
