An effort by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to force the Liberal government to reaffirm its commitment to a new pipeline to the West Coast will face a debate and recorded vote in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
The motion also seeks to get a commitment from the Liberals to override the northern British Columbia oil tanker ban if necessary in order to get that pipeline built, despite opposition from Coastal First Nations and the B.C. government.
It directly cites language in the memorandum of understanding signed between Ottawa and Alberta last month that sets the stage for a bitumen pipeline that will increase oil exports to Asia from a yet-unnamed deep-water port in B.C.
The agreement includes a federal commitment to “enable” such a project, “including if necessary through an appropriate adjustment to the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.”
The Conservative motion quotes that language and adds “while respecting the duty to consult Indigenous Peoples.”
Poilievre says he wants to put all individual Liberal MPs on the record on whether they now support a pipeline and changes to the tanker ban, which was enacted in 2019 under former prime minister Justin Trudeau. The motion is not legislation and would not automatically authorize any specific project.
“Will, in the spirit of Christmas, Liberals admit they were wrong, vote for their own wording, approve a pipeline and get rid of the tanker ban?” Poilievre asked during Monday’s question period.
Government House leader Steven MacKinnon shot back that “the prime minister and all of us and all Conservative premiers and most people in this country supports all parts of that MOU.”
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He and Energy Minister Tim Hodgson accused Poilievre of being selective in his quoting of the Alberta energy deal, which includes commitments from both parties to consult with the B.C. government and First Nations on a future pipeline.
Liberal MPs are expected to vote against the motion on Tuesday, a source told Global News.
Some Liberal MPs have underscored that requirement in public comments, which Poilievre has framed as allowing B.C. a “veto” on a pipeline that’s not covered by federal law.
“Only the federal government has exclusive authority to approve an interprovincial pipeline,” he said in a statement.
The tanker ban, which was first promised by Trudeau in 2015, has been blamed for killing the Northern Gateway and Eagle Spirit pipeline projects from the Alberta oilsands to northwestern B.C.
Federal Conservatives and successive Alberta governments have called on the 2019 federal law to be repealed, arguing it constrains the oil and gas industry.
The B.C. government and Coastal First Nations signed a proclamation last month committing to uphold the tanker ban, and the Assembly of First Nations voted unanimously at last week’s annual meeting to reject any changes to the law.
Some Liberal MPs in B.C. have underscored the need to consult with Indigenous Peoples in the province and gain their consent before a pipeline can be approved.
Calgary MP Corey Hogan, the parliamentary secretary to Hodgson, noted to reporters Monday that a “yes” vote on Poilievre’s motion by Liberals “might look like we don’t take seriously our requirement to consult with B.C. and First Nations.”
“If it’s a ‘no’ vote, it might look like we’re not serious about the pipeline,” he added.
“I don’t have the exact count, but we’ll certainly be in the House,” Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told reporters.
Potential unrest among the Liberals was thrust into the spotlight hours after the Alberta-Ottawa deal was signed, when former environment minister Steven Guilbeault resigned as Canadian identity and culture minister.
Liberals insisted afterward that there was unity within the party despite Guilbeault’s resignation from cabinet.
—with files from Global’s Mackenzie Gray
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