OTTAWA — A day after Alberta’s new pipeline plan caused major backlash and prompted a Cabinet minister to quit, Canada’s energy minister says the project is still far from finished.
“We’re baking the cake,” Tim Hodgson told POLITICO. “We’re only buying the ingredients right now, so it’s too early to judge.”
The deal between Ottawa and Alberta would allow a privately funded oilsands pipeline and roll back several climate policies from the previous Trudeau government. The changes have already upset some Liberals, including former environment minister Steven Guilbeault, who resigned in protest.
Hodgson says critics are jumping to conclusions. The agreement sets a July 1 deadline for private companies to pitch a pipeline plan that must meet strict conditions, including support from British Columbia and local First Nations. So far, no company has submitted a route or proposal.
He also pushed back on claims that Prime Minister Mark Carney is abandoning climate action. The deal keeps Canada’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 and adds targets for cutting methane, raising Alberta’s carbon price, and investing in clean energy like nuclear power.
B.C. Premier David Eby has called the pipeline idea an “energy vampire,” but Hodgson says the federal government and B.C. still have a strong working relationship. He pointed to recent cooperation on softwood-lumber tariffs and major project approvals.
