Prime Minister Mark Carney has signed a landmark energy accord with Alberta, paving the way for a Pacific-bound oil pipeline in a deal that immediately triggered a cabinet resignation and fierce political opposition.
The agreement, hailed by Alberta Premier Smith as the end of “dark times” for her province, exempts the proposed pipeline from key federal environmental laws, including a coastal tanker ban. In return, Alberta must implement a higher carbon price and develop a massive carbon capture program.
The deal’s political cost for Carney became clear almost instantly with the resignation of prominent environmentalist and Culture Minister Steven Guilbeault, who condemned the project’s “major environmental impacts” and accused the government of dismantling its own climate policies.
The project faces a steep uphill battle. It lacks a private financial backer, a defined route, and the critical support of British Columbia and First Nations. BC Premier David Eby, who was excluded from the talks, called the pipeline a “distraction” and an “energy vampire” that could jeopardize other energy projects in his province.
While Carney champions the pipeline as crucial for diversifying Canada’s oil exports away from the U.S., the agreement has ignited a firestorm, underscoring the deep national divisions between economic ambition and environmental action.
By James Kisoo
