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Alberta presses for Pacific pipeline amid interprovincial clash
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is escalating efforts to construct a new oil pipeline to British Columbia's Pacific coast, aiming to connect Canada's landlocked crude reserves with Asian markets-but faces staunch opposition from BC's government and Indigenous leaders. The dispute underscores Canada's struggle to reduce economic reliance on the US while navigating environmental and political divisions.
Provincial standoff over energy future
Smith's conservative administration has drafted a preliminary proposal for a pipeline linking Alberta's oil sands to BC's northern coast, hoping to attract private investment. However, BC Premier David Eby (NDP) dismissed the plan as "fictional" and "political theater," arguing no company would undertake the project. Eby accused Smith of undermining BC's own ambitions to expand liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to Asia, while Smith retaliated by labeling his stance "un-Canadian."
The feud reflects a decades-long rift: Alberta, home to Canada's third-largest oil reserves, sees pipelines as vital to economic growth, while BC-birthplace of Greenpeace-prioritizes environmental protections and Indigenous rights. The conflict has stalled prior projects, including Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline, abandoned in 2016 after courts ruled Indigenous consultations were inadequate. Enbridge spent over C$370 million ($263m) before scrapping the plan.
Federal government walks a tightrope
Prime Minister Mark Carney has avoided siding with either province but emphasized cooperation in a Thursday address unveiling "nation-building projects"-excluding pipelines but including critical minerals and BC's LNG expansion. Carney's goal to double non-US exports by 2035 clashes with Alberta's frustration over federal inaction, particularly after his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump, where reviving the Keystone XL pipeline was reportedly discussed.
"We need to see where we can cooperate and build things, and acknowledge where we can't."
Prime Minister Mark Carney, November 2025
Carney hinted at conditional support for a pipeline if Alberta advances carbon capture initiatives, stating discussions are "going well." Alberta's government, however, expects federal backing for its proposal, arguing internal trade barriers must fall. "We have to decide if we're going to operate like a country," said Smith's spokesperson, Sam Blackett.
Public opinion vs. Indigenous resistance
A recent Angus Reid Institute poll found 59% of Canadians-including 56% of BC residents-support a second Alberta-BC pipeline. Yet Indigenous leaders, like Chief Na'Moks of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation, vow resistance, calling the project "colonial violence masked as economic development." Environmental groups, such as Environmental Defence Canada, warn of legal challenges and protests, arguing pipelines conflict with Canada's pledge to halve emissions by 2035.
Economic stakes and climate tensions
Canada's sole existing Alberta-BC pipeline, Trans Mountain (TMX), cost C$35 billion after federal intervention in 2018 and has since generated C$12.6 billion in oil revenue, per Alberta Central. Non-US crude exports surged sixfold in the past year, but analysts note pipelines take years to build-offering little immediate relief to Canada's economic pressures.
Energy economist Andrew Leach (University of Alberta) highlights the core tension: "The benefits accrue to Alberta, while BC bears the generational risks." With BC's oil tanker ban and Indigenous opposition intact, Alberta's proposal faces an uphill battle-one that may push Carney toward reviving Keystone XL as the path of least resistance.
"At the end of the day, it still looks easier to negotiate with the Americans than with British Columbia."
Heather Exner-Pirot, MacDonald-Laurier Institute
