Ottawa, ON – Next Tuesday, December 9th, the House of Commons will debate and vote on a Conservative motion for a new oil pipeline to the Pacific coast, overriding the tanker ban, to ship bitumen to Asia.
Eight months ago, Mark Carney told Canadians his government would build “things previously thought impossible at speeds we haven’t seen in generations” and “build Canada into an energy superpower.”
Announcing his Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Alberta, he stated, “at the core of the agreement, of course, is a priority to have a pipeline to Asia that’s going to make Canada stronger, more independent, more resilient, more sustainable.”
The language of the Conservative motion is from Carney’s MOU. It reads that the House:
- Take note of the Memorandum of Understanding between Canada and Alberta of November 27, 2025; and
- Supports the construction of one or more pipelines enabling the export of at least one million barrels a day of low-emission Alberta bitumen from a strategic deep-water port on the British Columbia coast to reach Asian markets, including through an appropriate adjustment to the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, while respecting the duty to consult Indigenous Peoples.
Unfortunately, Carney’s Liberal MP’s are not aligned.
Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal MP for Vancouver Granville, said that a pipeline “MUST have B.C. and First Nations consent and we will all work to ensure our B.C. coast is protected.” Surrey MP Gurbux Saini laid out that any pipeline “must have a consent of the Premier of British Columbia,” and if not, “there will be no pipeline.” Victoria MP Will Greaves stated definitively, “I have heard from my constituents on this today and for several months. They, like me, are decisively not in support.”
BC NDP Premier David Eby has been clear that a pipeline through BC will go ahead over his dead body, saying, “it will never be built,” and “I am not in favour of shipping raw bitumen through our coast by lifting the oil tanker ban.” Thankfully, Eby has no veto under the constitution, as only the federal government has exclusive authority to approve an interprovincial pipeline.
This is the agreement Mark Carney signed. It’s time for the Prime Minister and his Liberal caucus to declare their support for a pipeline to the Pacific in a recorded vote. No hiding behind premiers or non-existent vetoes. Do the Liberals support a pipeline to the West Coast: yes or no?
Canadians can’t afford the continued distraction that only delays and deflects responsibility away from the Prime Minister. We need a pipeline to the Pacific. It’s time to unblock the trillions of dollars of private sector energy investment to produce more oil and gas, build profitable pipelines and ship a million barrels of oil to Asia a day at world prices.