Alberta fact check: Former BC NDP minister Nathan Cullen compares pipeline talks to 'a gun to the head' of Canada
Nathan Cullen's dramatic claim is disconnected from reality when scrutinized.
Former BC NDP minister Nathan Cullen says Ottawa “can’t negotiate with someone who puts a gun to your head,” referring to Alberta and discussions around a proposed westbound pipeline.
Nathan Cullen: "For those that have somehow this equation that a single project is a determination of whether our country is functioning or not, that's insane. And you can't negotiate with someone who puts a gun to your head and expect good outcomes." pic.twitter.com/rvYErRpbpg
— Scott Robertson (@sarobertson_) May 20, 2026
That’s a dramatic claim. It’s also disconnected from reality.
The proposed WEST pipeline memorandum of understanding was negotiated between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith — a premier who has repeatedly stated she supports Alberta remaining in Canada.
This was not a separatist negotiation. It was a federal-provincial infrastructure agreement between two federalist governments.
And the project Cullen is comparing to hostage-taking doesn’t even have a private-sector proponent yet.
There is currently:
- no finalized route,
- no company attached,
- no formal application,
- and no guarantee the project is ever built.
Yet Cullen and other B.C. politicians are already framing a discussion about economic infrastructure as though Ottawa is surrendering to national blackmail.
Meanwhile, B.C. itself has already benefited enormously from Ottawa’s federal fast-track process and national-interest project approvals, securing multiple LNG and transmission projects while Alberta had none. Suddenly Alberta getting one potential project discussion is treated like a constitutional crisis.
Verdict: False framing
The WEST pipeline MOU was not negotiated with separatists, and it was not some national hostage situation.
It was a policy discussion between the federal government and a federalist provincial government about a possible infrastructure project that may never even be built.
Calling that “a gun to the head” of the country says more about Ottawa-Western political panic than it does about Alberta.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Editor-in-Chief, Alberta Bureau Chief, member of the board of directors, and host of The Gunn Show at Rebel News. Sheila also serves as President of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada. A mother of three and longtime conservative activist, Sheila is the author of bestselling books, including her most recent release, Independence Blueprint: What Alberta Can Learn From Quebec.
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COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2026-05-20 21:16:35 -0400NDP tells me all I need to know about them. And where was this man in 1980 and 1995 when Quebec threatened to separate? But Albertans want to leave and the leftist lunatics lose what little mind they have left.
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2026-05-20 20:51:42 -0400Funny, for a long time, B. C. (particularly Lotusland) acted as if it wasn’t a part of Canada because of the Rockies.
