British Columbia Premier David Eby, from left, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok during a media availability at the 2024 Western Premiers’ Conference in Whitehorse, on June 10, 2024.Crystal Schick/The Canadian Press
Western premiers sidestepped a brewing dispute about new oil pipelines on Thursday, instead agreeing to push for an alternative trade corridor that would connect Canada’s North to British Columbia’s port of Prince Rupert, in order to help Canadian goods reach Asian markets.
B.C. Premier David Eby and Alberta’s Danielle Smith were seated side by side during a news conference in Yellowknife, where they wrapped up the annual meeting of Western premiers. The pair remained strongly in disagreement about the need for a new pipeline to get Alberta oil to the B.C. coast.
“I know that Danielle’s priority is to get heavy oil to tidewater. She is very unambiguous about that. 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,” Mr. Eby told reporters.
But, he said, Canada is facing a crisis as it engages in trade wars with both the United States and China.
Business leaders urge Western premiers to find a common front
“So, we’re all working together. We’re finding ways to co-operate. If Premier Smith is able to convince the federal government or a private proponent to build another pipeline through British Columbia, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Mr. Eby, who crafted his NDP government’s legal challenge against the Trans Mountain pipeline, also confirmed his opposition to ending the moratorium on oil tanker traffic off the province’s north coast.
He noted the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline, which went into service one year ago, is still not operating at capacity: “If the urgency is to get product to tidewater, then I would start with conversations with the federal government about ensuring that this publicly owned infrastructure is used to its full capacity. And that seems like a great place to start, rather than opening up the pristine north coast to tanker traffic.”
Ms. Smith said she was encouraged by the discussions at the table about opening up electricity trade between the western provinces and moving more goods through B.C.’s northern port.
“We’re kind of an ‘all of the above’ sort of province. We’d like to see infrastructure built north, south, east and west,” she said.
“Obviously, I‘d like to see pipelines built, but we had really constructive conversations about getting interties built so that we could have electricity coming back and forth from Manitoba all the way through to British Columbia and back again.”
The premiers are calling on Ottawa to support the development of an economic corridor between the Prince Rupert port and Hudson’s Bay, in Churchill, Manitoba, ultimately tying into the proposed Grays Bay road and port project in Nunavut, which would connect rich mineral resources to international shipping routes.
They also agreed to push back against Ottawa’s cuts to the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements program, which provides federal funding for families and communities recovering from large-scale disasters.
While the premiers of the four western provinces and Canada’s three territories focused on Arctic sovereignty and trade, simmering issues around separatist movements in Alberta and Saskatchewan were raised by reporters.
Ms. Smith, whose government introduced proposed legislation this spring to make it easier to launch a referendum on secession, said Ottawa can diffuse those sentiments by acting on the list of demands produced by the Western premiers. “If Prime Minister Mark Carney acts on the ideas in our communiqué today, that it would take the wind right out of any effort,” she said.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe echoed those remarks. “You’ve seen Saskatchewan come out and ask for some regulatory shifts from the federal government, and really some of that un-consulted policy is at the very heart of some of the alienation that Saskatchewan residents are feeling.”
Mr. Eby said this is not the time to be discussing separatist movements, when Western Canada is positioned to help the nation revive its economic fortunes.
“There is no worse time for us to get dragged into conversations about splitting up the country or this kind of thing, than right now, when in front of us is all this amazing opportunity.”