Finance Minister Bill Morneau says the federal government sees advantages in getting the Trans Mountain pipeline extension built 鈥渞apidly,鈥� but can鈥檛 offer a timeline for getting the job done.
Despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau鈥檚 attempt to mend fences between Alberta and British Columbia over the contentious project, B.C. Premier John Horgan remains staunchly opposed to the pipeline, which he fears could lead to a catastrophic oil spill along his province鈥檚 coast.
Speaking with CTV鈥檚 Question Period host Evan Solomon, Morneau said the time for expressing concerns about the $7.4-billion project -- which the Liberal government approved in 2016 -- has passed.
鈥淲e鈥檝e gone through a robust assessment of the environmental issues, we鈥檝e talked with Indigenous Canadians, we鈥檝e come up with an oceans protection plan that makes sense to ensure that we deal with the issues on the table,鈥� said Morneau, speaking from Washington, D.C.
The new pipeline would triple the amount of oil currently transferred from Alberta to Burnaby, allowing more Canadian oil to be sold in international markets.
and dozens of protesters have been arrested in anti-pipeline protests.
Trudeau has said he鈥檒l work with Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and Kinder Morgan to hammer out a financial strategy to make sure the project gets built.
But Morneau refused to offer any specifics on a budget or timeline, saying that 鈥渢oday is not a time for me to get into details.鈥�
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have exact timelines. We do need to appropriately come to the best solution. I鈥檓 working through that. And when we have a more definitive timeline, of course you鈥檒l be among the first to know,鈥� he said.
鈥淭here will be that transparency, we鈥檙e just not able to describe something that has not yet been concluded.鈥�
But Kinder Morgan鈥檚 CEO has doubts about the project. that the 鈥渆vents of the past 10 days鈥� confirmed views that the expansion 鈥渕ay be untenable for a private party to undertake.鈥�
Kinder Morgan has given a deadline of May 31 to declare whether or not the project can be built.
Asked whether the federal government is considering a buyout of the project, Morneau underscored the ongoing difficulties.
鈥淚t鈥檚 clear to us, as has been stated publicly, that Kinder Morgan is seeing some challenges in this project that they didn鈥檛 expect. Certainly, it鈥檚 taken them longer than they might have reasonably expected. We鈥檝e been clear that we want to deal with those risks to the project. We believe that we have government solutions.鈥�
Trudeau has repeatedly vowed that the pipeline will get built. Morneau echoed the prime minister鈥檚 confidence and insisted the project would have national benefits.
鈥淲e want Canadians to see that this project will get built, that we have the backs of those families that are concerned with their current job or see opportunities for future jobs,鈥� Morneau said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we鈥檙e actually after.鈥�
In another high-profile rift between Ottawa and the provinces, the federal government threatened to impose a carbon tax on Saskatchewan if it didn鈥檛 sign on with a national carbon tax plan. will challenge the case in court.
Morneau said he doesn鈥檛 consider the two disputes 鈥渁nalogous,鈥� and he doesn鈥檛 see an advantage to threats.
鈥淭his idea of threats is not helpful. We鈥檙e instead going to be focused on getting the project done, I want Canadians to know that we will do that, and do it in a way that addresses the issues, which we鈥檝e done through things like the oceans protection plan.鈥�
As for the threat of a court challenge from B.C., Morneau said the government is prepared.
鈥淲e鈥檝e said we鈥檙e going to look at legal, regulatory and financial options on how we can ensure the project moves forward,鈥� he said.
NAFTA hopes
NAFTA negotiators spent the weekend locked in meetings in Washington, D.C. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland called it a 鈥減erpetual negotiating round鈥� filled with 鈥渧ery energetic and productive conversations.鈥�
Speaking from Washington on Friday, Morneau was hopeful.
鈥淧rogress is being made,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat I can tell you is that we continue to be cautiously optimistic.鈥�
At the crux of those negotiations is new rules for autos, Freeland told reporters earlier this week. Sources told the Canadian Press that the new rules would modestly boost the amount of required North American-made parts in new vehicles.
Despite that optimism, Morneau acknowledged that the complicated file isn鈥檛 over just yet.
鈥淭here is more work to be done, absolutely. But we are driving hard to get to a conclusion that鈥檚 advantageous for Canadians but also that enables everyone in NAFTA to see some benefits.鈥�
