{"id":674146,"date":"2026-05-16T20:43:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T20:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/674146\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T20:43:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T20:43:14","slug":"eby-says-ottawa-is-rewarding-albertas-bad-behaviour-with-pipeline-agreement-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/674146\/","title":{"rendered":"Eby says Ottawa is rewarding Alberta’s ‘bad behaviour’ with pipeline agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"

British Columbia Premier David Eby says the federal government is rewarding\u00a0Alberta\u00a0for \u201cbad behaviour\u201d by agreeing to push for a new bitumen pipeline to the West Coast.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Mark Carney and\u00a0Alberta\u00a0Premier Danielle Smith signed an \u201cimplementation agreement\u201d to advance a West Coast pipeline to Ottawa\u2019s major projects office by July 1.<\/p>\n

The new agreement commits both the federal government and\u00a0Alberta\u00a0to consult B.C. on the proposed pipeline, and it could be declared in the national interested by the federal government by October, which would expedite the project.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, Eby said in a statement issued Friday that it can\u2019t be the case that projects get prioritized in Canada because a premier threatens to leave the country, referring to the separation movement in\u00a0Alberta.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The premier said Ottawa must work as closely with B.C. projects as it does with Smith\u2019s pipeline, a proposal that still lacks a proponent or a route.<\/p>\n

A statement from the Coastal First Nations advocacy group says its members will never allow a pipeline or oil tankers to the North Coast of B.C., and notes that Friday\u2019s announcement doesn\u2019t increase the chances of that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have heard directly from the prime minister and the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson that no project, and no route, will proceed without the support of affected First Nations and the province in which it is proposed,\u201d said Chief Marilyn Slett, president of the Coastal First Nations and chief councillor of the Heiltsuk Tribal Council.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eby\u2019s statement said that \u201cas a country, it\u2019s time to stop rewarding bad behaviour,\u201d and his government\u2019s opposition to any repeal of the North Coast tanker ban has not changed.<\/p>\n

B.C. has 35 shovel-ready projects that will create more jobs and prosperity for Canada, but they will need more attention and co-ordination from Ottawa, Eby said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said he knows Carney believes he can work with the B.C. in partnership.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBritish Columbia is a vital part of Canada. We must work together across federal-provincial lines to build this nation and to strengthen it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eby is due to meet with the prime minister next week and said he will bring a list of projects that can be worked on for the benefit of all Canadians.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will find a path forward, together \u2014 as Canadians,\u201d his statement said.<\/p>\n

B.C.\u2019s Opposition praised the Carney-Smith agreement, while accusing Eby of not working for the nation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Trevor Halford, interim leader of the Conservative Party of B.C., said in a statement that B.C. has been locked out of a nation-building deal that will produce jobs and help build the province.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe premier has put himself offside with the national interest, offside with our largest trading partners, and offside with the British Columbians who need these jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Environmentalists don\u2019t like the agreement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ecojustice said in a statement that the pipeline deal threatens to accelerate climate risks and damage coastal ecosystems.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Charlie Hatt, the climate director for Ecojustice, said Friday\u2019s agreement marks another environmental rollback from Carney\u2019s government.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s be clear, Prime Minister Carney\u2019s latest deal will \u2014 by design \u2014 unleash more fossil fuels, which means more heat waves, wildfires, and floods that put our lives, health, and the well-being of our communities at risk,\u201d Hatt said.<\/p>\n

Criticism also came from the B.C. Greens, whose leader Emily Lowan said the agreement runs counter to the rapid rise of renewables.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no world where a new pipeline proves beneficial for working people, economically or environmentally,\u201d Lowan said. \u201cDanielle Smith\u2019s self-interest will only benefit the fossil fuel billionaires who are stuffing her pockets and funding her desperate last grasp at oil dominance. Letting Smith dictate oil policy is like letting a child dictate bedtime.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

Add CityNews Edmonton as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.<\/p>\n

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