B.C. premier not backing revival of Northern Gateway
When asked about opposing the tanker moratorium, B.C. Premier David Eby vowed to “cross that bridge when we come to it,” pending federal support.
When asked if he would revive and fast-track the Northern Gateway Pipeline, B.C. Premier David Eby appeared coy, choosing instead to deflect.
“Do you think we should prioritize building heavy oil pipelines to deep water ports in northern British Columbia as part of diversifying our exports from the United States?” asked Rahim Mohamed of the National Post.
“The discussion at the table and reflected in the communique was focused on points of agreement, and those points of agreement are that we need an economic corridor that accesses the ports in the northwest of British Columbia and the ports on Hudson's Bay,” Eby said yesterday at the Western Premiers' Conference
Recent trade uncertainty involving U.S. tariffs has intensified the debate around pipelines. Oil, Canada's top export, is primarily shipped to the United States.
BC Premier David Eby says he wants to see the federal gov't ensure the Trans Mountain Pipeline is running at full capacity before opening up northern ports to oil tanker traffic. pic.twitter.com/e5JfFTqesM
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) May 23, 2025
Former prime minister Justin Trudeau cancelled Northern Gateway in late 2016, following his 2015 moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic off B.C.’s north coast. The pipeline was intended to transport Alberta oil to a B.C. marine terminal for tanker export.
Premier Eby voiced opposition to increased tanker traffic on the north coast, citing the underutilized Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMX).
“If the urgency is to get product to tidewater, I would start [with] ensuring that this publicly owned infrastructure is used to its full capacity,” he said.
RBC analysis of BC tanker activity suggests the TMX pipeline operated near full capacity in April, contradicting Culture Minister Steven Guilbeault's claim it runs below half capacity.
Industry experts suggest that operating oil pipelines below full capacity is best practice, as it allows producers the flexibility to redirect products to various markets.
Trans Mountain pipeline running near full capacity, say bankers
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) May 23, 2025
RBC analysis shows TMX operated near full capacity last month, with millions of barrels shipped to Asia and the United States.https://t.co/iuixUfbIkU
When asked about opposing the moratorium, Eby vowed to “cross that bridge when we come to it,” pending federal support.
“I know that Danielle's priority is to get heavy oil to tidewater, and she is very unambiguous about that,” he said. “My priority is to get B.C. electricity to as many places as possible to help decarbonize our economy.”
Smith, for months, has urged the prime minister and other premiers to back significant infrastructure projects for exporting Canada's natural resources to international markets.
“Immediately start construction on the Northern Gateway [and] Energy East pipelines to diversify our customer base to Europe, Asia and our own country,” reads a social media post.
At the Western Premiers' Conference, she reiterated that Prince Rupert offers the fastest shipping route for Alberta's products to Asian markets.
Premier Danielle Smith says one thing she's looking for form the feds is to help fastrack and derisk the revival of the Northern Gateway pipeline through the port of Prince Rupert. pic.twitter.com/NhDWIk2nzS
— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) May 16, 2025
The head of Trans Mountain Corp. believes a new pipeline for landlocked crude to reach any Canadian coast can be built within the next ten years.
A spokesperson for Enbridge told the Post that “any new pipeline project would require careful consideration and real provincial and federal legislative change.”
“We need clear evidence of a supportive framework before considering a major project like Northern Gateway.”
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc informed Radio-Canada that discussions regarding energy corridors may not encompass oil pipelines.
Alex Dhaliwal
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Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
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COMMENTS
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William Chapman commented 2025-05-24 14:03:22 -0400Eby barely squeaked by to get the NDP re-elected last time. He will likely be gone next election cycle. Rustad of the BC Conservatives will be our next premiere. Like the majority of BC voters, Rustad is in favour of pipelines & resource development. Not sure Alberta will wait that long, though. -
Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2025-05-23 22:54:20 -0400Victoria operates with the assumption that what’s good for Lotusland is good for the rest of the province. Eby is a resident of the Magic Kingdom and, therefore, has no clue what goes on in the rest of B. C.
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Bruce Atchison commented 2025-05-23 19:06:01 -0400What an ignorant dork Eby is! BC and the rest of the country would benefit from that pipeline. No wonder most of that province wants to go along with Alberta and Saskatchewan.
