B.C. premier to speak live following pipeline MOU signed by Ottawa, Alberta

B.C. Premier David Eby will speak live following the news that Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed a memorandum of understanding that commits them to working toward building an oil pipeline to the West Coast.

At a signing ceremony in Calgary on Thursday, the two agreed to terms that commit Ottawa to adjusting the West Coast tanker ban if a pipeline project is approved as a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act and provides “opportunities for Indigenous co-ownership and shared economic benefits.”

Eby is holding an availability at 12:30 p.m. PT to discuss the future of B.C.’s and Canada’s economy. That will be broadcast live above.

Eby has not said what steps his government would take to stop such a pipeline, which he has said could threaten thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in “real projects” that depend on a “fragile consensus” with First Nations.

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He has called the project one that doesn’t actually exist and said it was just a communications exercise by Smith.

Eby also said he wants B.C. to be incorporated into any final agreement on a pipeline and last Friday, he said he wants to be a team player with Canada to see what can be done.

4:11 Alberta-Ottawa announce pipeline plan to B.C. coast

However, B.C.’s Coastal First Nations say they will use “every tool in their toolbox” to keep oil tankers out of the northern coastal waters.

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Marilyn Slett, president of the Coastal First Nations – Great Bear Initiative and elected Chief of the Heiltsuk Nation, said in a statement on Thursday that this pipeline is “nothing more than a pipe dream.”

“Today’s MOU does nothing to increase the chances of a pipeline project to the northwest coast ever becoming a reality,” Slett said.

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“Coastal First Nations, along with the province of B.C., will never allow our coast to be put at risk of a catastrophic oil spill.

“We have made repeated calls to the federal government to uphold Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, as it is foundational to the vibrant and growing conservation economy we have built on the North Coast. Coastal First Nations, along with the province of B.C., have made it clear through our joint declaration that the tanker ban is not up for negotiation. We will never tolerate any exemptions or carveouts, period.”

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Slett said that no technology exists to clean up an oil spill at sea or in a salmon river and there is nothing in the MOU that overrides their inherent constitutional authority and stewardship responsibilities as Rights and Title Holders of the Central and North Coast and Haida Gwaii.

“We have zero interest in co-ownership or economic benefits of a project that has the potential to destroy our way of life and everything we have built on the coast,” she said.

The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) is also speaking out against the MOU signed on Thursday.

“This MOU is nothing less than a high-risk and deeply irresponsible agreement that sacrifices Indigenous peoples, coastal communities, and the environment for political convenience,” president Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said in a statement.

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“British Columbians and First Nations have been crystal clear: crude oil tankers do not belong in the Great Bear Sea. We will not stand by while the Carney government and Alberta attempt to bulldoze our rights and disregard the catastrophic risks of a spill in the corporate profit interests of the global fossil fuel industry.”

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1:05 Carney says signing MOU on West Coast pipeline deal is ‘first step’ in the ‘spirit of partnership’

The West Coast Oil Tanker Ban came into effect in 2019 and prohibits tankers from carrying more than 12,500 metric tonnes of crude oil along the northern coast of B.C.

The pipeline from Alberta to B.C. would include new or expanded port facilities in Prince Rupert or Kitimat, which would require at least a partial repeal of the tanker ban.

BC Conservative leader John Rustad said the MOU signing “exposes a humiliating truth” for Eby.

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“While Alberta and Ottawa move ahead on a new North Coast pipeline initiative, the Premier of British Columbia was not even in the room,” Rustad said in a statement.

He added that it was a direct result of Eby’s “open hostility to resource development.”“Alberta is at the table. Ottawa is at the table. David Eby is nowhere to be found,” Rustad said. “If the prime minister is saying this pipeline will bring major economic benefits to British Columbia, why is our premier working so hard to stop it? British Columbians deserve a premier who fights for investment, jobs, and opportunity, not one who blocks prosperity and drives investment away.”

Rustad said the NDP’s refusal to support nation-building energy projects has already cost the province billions in lost revenues, cancelled investments, and tens of thousands of foregone jobs. A new export pipeline to the North Coast would bring long-term employment, support communities in the North, strengthen national security, and help Canada compete globally.

“This Premier talks about affordability while opposing the projects that pay for hospitals, schools, and services. He warns about threats to our economy while helping to create those threats through bad policy and ideological opposition,” Rustad said. “He claims to have his elbows up, but he sells our oil to the United States at a twenty to thirty percent discount. Once again, the NDP is putting British Columbians last.”

This story will be updated following the press conference at 12:30 p.m. PT.

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 –with files from The Canadian Press