Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Official Opposition, released the following statement making it clear that only Mark Carney can allow, or block, pipelines in Canada:
“After the Alberta government announced its plan to propose a pipeline that will strengthen our nation’s economy and get our resources to market, the federal government just invented a fake provincial veto for the Premier of BC.
“Section 92.10(a) of the Constitution is clear: projects ‘extending beyond the Limits of the Province’ are entirely within the federal government’s exclusive jurisdiction. Not the provinces or premiers – Ottawa.
“The courts have ruled on this question again and again. When it comes to interprovincial pipelines, it’s the federal government that has the sole power to decide. Full stop. This was further confirmed by Dawn Farrell, the head of Carney’s own so-called ‘Major Projects Office,’ who said yesterday that ‘there is no veto’ from the provinces.
“Despite clearly being the only one who can deny a pipeline, Carney’s Minister of Energy told the Senate that a pipeline would ‘need the support of the jurisdiction you build through’ and approval ‘is between the Province of Alberta and the Province of British Columbia.’
“That is despite 56 per cent of British Columbians already supporting Alberta’s proposed plan for a pipeline, with 59 per cent of all Canadians backing the project – a clear mandate for a project that will bring jobs and prosperity to the West.
“The Constitution and legal precedent is abundantly clear on this question – and no amount of press conferences in Victoria or Ottawa can rewrite it.
“At a time when regional divides are deepening, and we face new and ever-changing threats to our economy, it is more important than ever to unite as Canadians and create a prosperous and self-reliant country with powerful paycheques for all.”