Taxpayers Federation to intervene in Alberta court fight over Ottawa’s 'No More Pipelines' law

Critics argue the federal government's 'no more pipelines' law infringes on provincial autonomy.

Sheila Gunn Reid
  |   September 02, 2025   |   News   |   2 Comments

 

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has been granted leave to intervene in the Alberta Court of Appeal case examining the constitutionality of the federal government’s amended Impact Assessment Act — often dubbed the “no more pipelines” law.

“Ottawa shouldn’t be able to trample over provincial powers and leave taxpayers footing the bill for delays, duplication and wasted money,” said Devin Drover, CTF General Counsel. “This is an important win for taxpayers because it means their voices will be heard in a case that could reshape the balance of power in Canada.”

The Alberta government has asked the Court of Appeal to weigh in on whether Ottawa’s latest version of the Act respects the Constitution. The law hands the federal government broad authority over projects that would normally fall under provincial jurisdiction, including natural resource development.

The CTF has been down this road before. It previously intervened in the first constitutional challenge to the Act before both the Alberta Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that the earlier version of the law was unconstitutional in part.

Drover said the group is stepping back into the fight to ensure taxpayers aren’t left out of the equation. “This case isn’t just about governments fighting each other – it’s about accountability to the citizens who pay the bills. When Ottawa blurs the lines, accountability breaks down and costs go up.”

The CTF intends to argue that Ottawa’s duplicative review process undermines provincial autonomy, reduces accountability, and piles extra costs and delays onto taxpayers across the country.

The Alberta Court of Appeal has not yet set a date for the hearing.

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Sheila Gunn Reid

Chief Reporter

Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.

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  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2025-09-02 21:03:06 -0400
    We taxpayers ALWAYS get stuck with the bills our governments rack up. And it sure is irksome when money is squandered on a vendetta to shaft Alberta.
  • Bernhard Jatzeck
    commented 2025-09-02 20:45:02 -0400
    That law has absolutely nothing to do with “environment” or whatever social cause the construction of a pipeline will supposedly violate. Its sole objective is to punish Alberta because it consistently failed since the early days of PET to vote “properly” and elect only Liberals.