EDMONTON — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Kinder Morgan oil pipeline expansion will happen despite British Columbia's latest attempt to hinder the project.
Speaking on Edmonton talk radio station CHED on Thursday, Trudeau said the pipeline, which would take Alberta crude to the West Coast for shipment to Asian markets, is in the national interest and will go ahead.
"That pipeline is going to get built," Trudeau said. "We will stand by our decision. We will ensure that the Kinder Morgan pipeline gets built."
B.C.'s environment minister has said his minority government plans to ban increased shipments of diluted bitumen off the province's coast until it can determine that shippers are prepared and able to properly clean up a spill.
The move has infuriated Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, who has accused B.C. of trying to change the rules after the federal government already gave the project the green light.
Trudeau said Canada needs to get Alberta's oil safely to markets other than the United States. He said the federal government did the research and has spent billions on spill response.
"The Kinder Morgan pipeline is not a danger to the B.C. coast," he said.
Trudeau said it's normal for provinces to have differences of opinion and that's why there is a federal government.
"One of the reasons we have a national government to oversee national interests is to step up for the interests of all Canadians and that's exactly what I am going to do," he said, without elaborating on what steps he might take.
Notley has threatened trade retaliation with B.C. if the shipping ban goes ahead. She held an emergency cabinet meeting Wednesday to discuss what legal and economic levers Alberta can pull in its spat with its neighbour to the west. She specifically mentioned interprovincial trade in electricity.
The B.C. government has said it will establish an independent scientific advisory panel to study the issue.
B.C.'s proposal creates more uncertainty for Kinder Morgan's already-delayed Trans Mountain expansion project that would nearly triple the capacity of its pipeline system to 890,000 barrels a day.
Notley is not alone in her fight.
Saskatchewan's incoming premier Scott Moe has also expressed support for the project and criticized the move by B.C., as have opposition party leaders in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
