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B.C. Premier David Eby and Alberta Premier Danielle meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Parliament Hill on Wednesday.Patrick Doyle/Reuters
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she and David Eby agree on plans to further expand the Trans Mountain pipeline, and she pledged to keep the British Columbia Premier in the loop as she prepares to release a proposal for an entirely new pipeline in June.
The Premier made the comments after meeting with Mr. Eby and Prime Minister Mark Carney Wednesday on Parliament Hill. Mr. Carney has said expanding energy exports to Asian markets is an important way for Canada to diversify its trading relationships in response to higher tariffs from the United States.
Ms. Smith said the two provinces share “a lot of common ground,” pointing to the development of liquefied natural gas, the further integration of their electricity markets and the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline that takes oil from Alberta to Burnaby, B.C.
The conciliatory tone marked a sharp contrast to the heated words exchanged between the two premiers after a November announcement from Ms. Smith and Mr. Carney that Ottawa had agreed to prioritize a new Alberta bitumen pipeline to the Pacific. Mr. Eby attacked what he called the “secret” talks at the time, while Ms. Smith dismissed Mr. Eby’s concerns as “un-Canadian.”
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A private sector proponent has yet to step forward and a preferred route has not been announced. The Alberta Premier said she will have further details about plans for a new pipeline later this year.
“And we’ve got some work to do, of course, and consulting with First Nations, but we’ve pledged to keep the Premier in the loop as those conversations go on,” she said.
“As I mentioned, we’re going to have our project in June, and so, there’ll be a little bit more clarity about what the route is. And I think that that will go a long way towards getting the support from First Nations, which I think is really important, not only to [Mr. Eby], but it’s also very important for the country, that First Nations have an ownership stake,” she said.
Mr. Eby later described the tone of the meeting as very civil and “borderline friendly,” even though he maintains that a new pipeline to northern B.C. would create environmental risks and compromise relations with First Nations communities that are working with the B.C. government on other resource projects.
“I am not engaging in negotiations about this pipeline project proposal from Alberta. It is their responsibility. It’s their baby,” he said. “They understand my concern.”
The B.C. Premier reiterated his position that expanding the existing Trans Mountain pipeline is a more “realistic” option, adding that it is already publicly owned and could be expanded quickly.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney, Premier David Eby and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in Ottawa on Wednesday.Patrick Doyle/Reuters
Mr. Carney met with Mr. Eby just before the meeting with both premiers. The Prime Minister was scheduled to meet the first ministers for dinner later in the evening. He will then host the premiers again Thursday.
Mr. Eby said Wednesday that he told Mr. Carney and Ms. Smith that the process that led to November’s memorandum of understanding between them was backwards.
“We should have all been at the table at the beginning,” he said. “I think that was very unfortunate. But we have to move on.”
The federal government owns the Trans Mountain pipeline. Ottawa purchased it from Kinder Morgan in 2018 and led an expansion project to twin the pipeline, which became operational in 2024. The project’s price tag grew to $34.2-billion after numerous cost overruns, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer.
Capacity along the existing route could be enhanced several ways, including by dredging the port of Vancouver.
Trans Mountain Corp., the government-owned pipeline company, has previously said it has a three-part wish list of projects to improve flow on the line. Together, they would increase the system’s capacity by roughly 360,000 barrels a day.
The provincial and territorial premiers met as a group without the Prime Minister throughout the day Wednesday at a hotel in Ottawa’s Byward Market near Parliament Hill.
B.C. Premier says he could back new pipeline if tanker ban remains in place
Some premiers who spoke with the media Wednesday said they are focused on developing new major projects, improving internal trade within Canada, addressing concerns about immigration policy and pushing for increased federal funding for health care.
They also mentioned discussions on how to protect the economy in the face of higher U.S. tariffs on a range of Canadian exports.
“I do agree with Prime Minister Carney that nothing is the same any more with our relationship with the U.S., with what’s happening in the United States right now,” said New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt. “We don’t recognize our long-time friends and trading partners.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Canada’s position has improved when compared to a year ago, shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in and many were “kissing his backside.”
“But now we know President Trump’s rules. There are no rules with him. So, we need to focus on what we can do,” he said.
Liberal MP Corey Hogan, who is parliamentary secretary to Energy Minister Tim Hodgson and is one of two Liberal MPs from Alberta, told reporters Wednesday that he sees room for Mr. Eby and Ms. Smith to reach an agreement on a pipeline.
“I don’t think Alberta and British Columbia are as far apart as is sometimes discussed,” he said outside a meeting of the Liberal caucus.
Mr. Hogan said there appears to be common ground on pipelines provided it avoids the north coast that is covered by a tanker ban.
“That’s space for a deal, in my opinion,” he said. “The MOU says a pipeline to the West Coast. It’s a very big coast, and the tanker ban covers a certain portion of the coast, but not all of the coast.”
During brief comments to reporters in French on Wednesday morning, Mr. Carney aimed to present a united front.
He said he was looking forward to meeting the premiers and said Canada is at a turning point as a country. He added there is a real sense of “Team Canada” among the premiers.
With a report from Emily Haws
