Smith says Ottawa has the potential to snuff out Alberta independence movement
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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Thursday that momentum for Alberta secession could be deflated should Ottawa deliver more economic projects to the West.
Smith made the remarks at a news conference following the conclusion of the two-day Western Premiers Conference in Yellowknife, with the premiers of N.W.T., Yukon, Nunavut, B.C., Saskatchewan, and Manitoba all participating.
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National Observer
4 hours ago
- National Observer
Alberta seeks private investor to help build oil pipeline to coast
The Alberta government is working to entice a private-sector player to build a major crude pipeline to coastal waters, Premier Danielle Smith said Wednesday. "We're talking to all of the pipeline proponents; anyone who has had success in building a pipeline in Canada and has an interest in perhaps coming together as a consortium. Or, if one emerges as being a principal proponent, then we'll be interested in talking to them, too," Smith told reporters following a speech to the Global Energy Show. "But we know that it's a chicken and egg problem, that no one's going to come forward with a project without some guarantee that it is going to be approved." Alberta could help the project along by committing barrels of physical bitumen received in lieu of cash royalties from oilsands producers, Smith said. She has been enthusiastic about reviving a plan to ship oilsands crude to the northern B.C. coast for export to Asia, and the end point she sees making the most sense is Prince Rupert, B.C. Enbridge Inc. had once planned to ship crude to another northern B.C. port, Kitimat, via its proposed Northern Gateway pipeline. That project was nixed in 2016 when the federal government banned tankers off the northern B.C. coast. Enbridge CEO Greg Ebel has said it would take a major overhaul in federal regulations for his company to revisit such a proposal. The Alberta government is working to entice a private-sector player to build a major crude pipeline to coastal waters, Premier Danielle Smith said Wednesday. Smith said Prince Rupert might be a more viable choice than Kitimat, as it has a less treacherous route out to the open Pacific and many other commodities already move out of there. Smith said no company will agree to build a pipeline to the northern B.C. coast as long as there is a tanker ban, and oilsands companies aren't going to expand their production as long as there's a federal emissions cap. The premier urged conference attendees to keep up the pressure on Prime Minister Mark Carney's government to do what needs to be done to get "nation-building" projects built. "Anything less than success means failing to act for Canada. It means failing to stand up for democracy and peaceful global development," she said. "And most importantly, it means a loss of economic prosperity that future Canadian youth and families cannot count on to enhance their standard of living locally and to eliminate energy poverty globally." With U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs throwing the Canada-U.S. trade relationship into disarray, there have been growing calls for Canada to tap into other markets for its resources. The only way meaningful amounts of Canadian oil can currently flow to customers outside the United States is via the federally owned Trans Mountain pipeline to the B.C. Lower Mainland, whose expansion started up about a year ago. Trans Mountain CEO Mark Maki told reporters on the sidelines of the conference that his is among the companies Smith has talked to about spearheading a new pipeline. "But as far as us ... optimize the existing kit is the first priority," he said. The Trans Mountain pipeline has been running at about 85 per cent of its capacity of 890,000 barrels a day. That could be taken further to 1.14 million barrels a day with the help of drag-reducing chemical additives and additional pumping horsepower. Maki said Carney, a former central banker, strikes him as a decisive and detail-oriented leader who "gets it." "The business sort of wiring to him, I think is where a lot of my optimism comes from," he said. Carney recently met with provincial and territorial premiers to hear about what projects they'd like to see fast-tracked under new legislation, but has not said which have made the cut. Smith said she'll give the Liberals until the fall legislative session — or four to six months — to determine whether Carney is serious about his pledge to make Canada an "energy superpower." Smith is also keen on accessing global markets via the East Coast or a pipeline to the Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba, which would give tanker access to Hudson Bay. Smith heaped praise on Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew — a New Democrat of a much different political stripe than her United Conservative Party — for being open to that idea. "He has been very vocal in saying that he wants Churchill to be a major export hub, including oil and gas, and he's been unequivocal about that," Smith said. B.C. NDP Premier David Eby, on the other hand, has been skeptical about pursuing a Northern Gateway-like proposal while Trans Mountain, already in operation, is running under full capacity and has expansion potential.
Calgary Herald
5 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith sees 'encouraging signs' in federal approach to energy
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith expressed optimism in Prime Minister Mark Carney's approach to energy at a Calgary conference. Article content However, speaking at the Global Energy Show, Smith said Carney 'has the ability to show leadership and be able to either substantially revise or completely eliminate some of those bad policies.' Article content Article content She later noted several policies, including the emissions cap, tanker ban and Bill C-69, among others. Article content Article content 'A lot of the people who imposed bad policies over the last 10 years are still in key positions in either his government or his caucus . . . I recognize that he has a real challenge on climbing down on some of them,' said Smith. Article content Article content For other policy changes, she acknowledged the 'large amount' of work and time it would take to repeal them. Article content 'I'm going to be optimistic,' said Smith, adding she hopes for change during the next legislative session this fall. Article content In addition to policy, Smith also noted a need for more 'nation-building' projects, pipelines in particular. Article content 'We need projects that go north to Grays Bay, that go east to Churchill, and also potentially a modern version of Energy East,' she said. Article content Article content Those routes would address Canada's geopolitical priorities and Arctic security, she added. Article content 'Alberta benefits tremendously from developing its energy to the fullest, but the rewards aren't limited to our province or a handful of companies — far from it. Everybody wins when Alberta realizes its full potential of its energy,' said Smith. Article content Article content 'I've seen encouraging signs that the prime minister is open to this thinking. Now we need to turn these ideas and these opportunities into action,' said Smith. Article content Perhaps the first step would be a couple of pipeline expansions, in particular Trans Mountain and something to the U.S., she said. Article content 'I know that the U.S. is quite interested in having this conversation with us about how to increase the supply of our oil going south. But then we've also seen the premiers come together, looking at a Port of Prince Rupert to Churchill energy corridor,' Smith said.
Globe and Mail
7 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Alberta working with oil companies on pipeline proposal, Danielle Smith says
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government is working with oil companies to try and secure a proposal for a new pipeline to the west coast – and says she expects Prime Minister Mark Carney to 'operate in good faith' on the pipeline issue. The Alberta government has also pitched Mr. Carney on a kind of quid pro quo, in which oil companies commit to building the Pathways carbon capture project if he greenlights an oil pipeline. Oil and gas pipelines have come into sharp focus in the wake of President Donald Trump's trade war, as Canada's fossil fuel sector searches for more opportunities to diversify itself from the United States, its largest customer. Mr. Carney has also pledged to make Canada into an energy superpower, but Ms. Smith says meeting that goal will rely on new pipelines that can transport Alberta oil and gas to a Canadian coast –west, north or east – for access to overseas markets. British Columbia's Energy Minister, Adrian Dix, recently shut down the idea of a new pipeline in the province, citing the impracticality and massive costs associated with such a proposal. But Ms. Smith told the Global Energy Show in Calgary on Wednesday that she's confident she can convince the province's premier, David Eby, of the merits of an oil pipeline. 'We're doing what we can to address the legitimate concerns that we heard,' Ms. Smith said. 'What I've heard them say recently is there's no project - no project and no proponent. Well, that's my job. There will be soon. We're working very hard on being able to get industry players, private-sector players, to realize this time might be different.' Ms. Smith said there may be a consortium of companies interested in joining forces to build a pipeline. If so, she said Alberta would work with the group to test out Mr. Carney's promised two-year approval process for major infrastructure projects. 'We know that it's a chicken-and-egg problem, that no one's going to come forward with a project without some guarantee that's going to be approved,' she said. 'The Prime Minister, I want to take him at his word that he wants to operate in good faith. So we're going to operate in good faith.' The ultimate goal is to get an oil pipeline onto a list of major infrastructure projects being developed by the federal government. Ms. Smith said she also wants to see the Pathways Alliance carbon capture project on that list. The Pathways Alliance is a consortium of Canada's six largest oil sands companies, which together have publicly committed to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from oil sands production by 2050. At the heart of the group's pledge is a 400-kilometre-long pipeline that would transport carbon captured at oil sands facilities to an underground hub near Cold Lake, Alta., reducing emissions by 22 megatonnes a year. The project could cost anywhere from $10-billion to $20-billion – an amount that's all expense, because there is no revenue associated with it, Ms. Smith said. 'But if you couple it with a million barrel-per-day pipeline, that allows you $20-billion worth of revenue year after year after year for the lifetime of that project. All of a sudden, a $10-billion to $20-billion cost to decarbonize looks a lot more attractive when you have a new source of revenue.' Ms. Smith said she doesn't believe it would be problematic to fill a new pipeline, given that Enbridge recently announced an open season on its Flanagan South pipeline expansion to the U.S. for 100,000 barrels, and drew 400,000 barrels of interest. 'What we are hearing from the energy sector is: Build it, they will come.'
