André Pratte: Energy East is still a pipe dream. Quebec support won't last

National Post

22-05-2025

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There are several reasons why Energy East was opposed by a majority of Quebecers. From the very start, environment activists fought the project and TC Energy was left alone in countering them. Few politicians — federal, provincial or municipal — were willing to defend it.
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Furthermore, TC Energy made crucial mistakes in the early planning of the endeavour, mistakes that made Quebecers distrustful. Indeed, TC Energy did not sufficiently consider the fact that Quebecers are not familiar with the oil industry's infrastructure.
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Although they consume their share of gas for transportation, they have been told for decades that most of Quebec's energy is clean, which has become a matter of national pride. Selling the construction of a giant oil pipeline in the province was always going to be a challenge.
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Trump's election may have changed a lot of things, but I suspect that if one were to dig into Quebecers' minds deeper than a poll can, one would find a fair level of skepticism about the oil industry. It would not take much to have that view resurface. This would probably happen the moment a concrete proposal is put on the table, when people realize that the future pipeline would pass through their neighbourhoods.
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I wish I could say that Quebecers are ready to accept a new Energy East-style project as a show of solidarity with western-Canadians. But this is simply not the case. Many Quebecers are convinced that fighting climate change requires ending the production of oil, especially from the oilsands.
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They also fear the risk of leaks, a concern that arguments based on mathematical probabilities usually fail to overcome. It is true that Ottawa has jurisdiction over inter-provincial pipelines and therefore could choose to simply ignore Quebecers' objections. However, forcing a pipeline down peoples' throats is not a wise approach, and the political cost for Mark Carney's government would be extremely high.
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