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FIRST READING: How Canada's Trump-spiting plan to build pipelines is already evaporating
First Reading is a Canadian politics newsletter curated by the National Post's own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here. Back in January, something near-unbelievable happened. One of Canada's most vocal and influential anti-pipeline activists said that maybe pipelines weren't such a bad idea. Stewart Phillip, grand chief of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, told reporters that he had changed his mind on Northern Gateway, a proposed $8-billion heavy oil pipeline to Kitimat, B.C., that Philip had worked for years to destroy. The spur for the epiphany was U.S. President Donald Trump pledging an all-out trade war with Canada. 'I would suggest that if we don't build that kind of infrastructure, Trump will,' said Philip. The backlash was immediate, and Philip would end up reversing himself within 24 hours. The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs rushed out a statement clarifying that they still opposed 'fossil fuel pipelines,' and quoted Phillip as saying 'I do not support resuscitating dead projects.… I sincerely apologize for any confusion on this point.' But Phillip's one-day odyssey as a pipeline booster would turn out to be a template for what was to come. Despite a brief glimmer of possibility that Canada would start building oil pipelines to spite Trump, the last few months have been a whirlwind of Canadian figures returning to their old anti-oil positions almost immediately. 'If you're not buying oil and gas from Canada and British Columbia, the alternative is Venezuela,' said B.C. Premier David Eby on Feb. 6 in a direct appeal for Canada to start selling more of everything to non-U.S. customers, including oil. Eby even made glowing reference to the recently completed Trans Mountain pipeline, a project his own B.C. NDP predecessor, John Horgan, had actively tried to sink. Where Horgan had called the pipeline a bringer of 'catastrophic oil spills,' Eby now said Trans Mountain was a 'critically important' means to 'ensure our sovereignty.' 'It doesn't matter what the product is, we should be looking at how we get that product to other markets,' he said. The comments were arguably the high-water mark of a flurry of public enthusiasm for new export pipelines. It didn't matter which coast; Canadians suddenly wanted a way to get more Alberta oil into tankers. Liberal MP François-Philippe Champagne, who is now minister of finance, said on Feb. 9 that his government's 2019 decision to cancel a pipeline to the Atlantic Coast should probably be reversed. 'Things have changed … you cannot be in the past,' he said. Even in famously anti-pipeline Quebec, Premier François Legault conceded that the political winds might be shifting. 'What Mr. Trump is doing may change the situation in the future. So, if there is a social acceptability, we will be open to these kinds of projects,' he said on Feb. 3. A Feb. 10 poll by the Angus Reid Institute found that a record 68 per cent of Canadian respondents now favoured the Energy East pipeline, a project to bring Alberta crude to ports on the Atlantic Coast. Northern Gateway got the thumbs-up from 55 per cent of respondents, against just 25 per cent who said they opposed it. A month later, in March, a Nanos poll found that a new pipeline was suddenly one of the most popular pieces of public policy in the country. Three quarters of Canadians endorsed a 'national energy corridor which would have a pipeline to move Canadian oil and gas from Alberta to Eastern Canada.' The context for all of this was the beginning of Trump's trade war against Canada, and his frequent threats to annex the country as the 51st state. Canadian politicians of all stripes began embracing the idea of shifting the Canadian economy away from its historical reliance on U.S. exports. And in any strategy to decouple Canada from the U.S., arguably the most impactful thing Canada could do would be to sell its oil elsewhere. Oil is not only Canada's most valuable export, but it's an export almost entirely dependent on U.S. customers. More than 97 per cent of Canadian oil exports leave the country via a pipeline heading to the U.S. The only way Canadian oil can ever find its way to non-U.S. customers is via the occasional tanker filling up either at a Newfoundland offshore platform or via the Trans Mountain terminus in Burnaby. There's no immediate evidence that the Canadian public has soured on its enthusiasm for some sort of Trump-spiting oil export pipeline. As recently as April, a poll commissioned by Bloomberg News found 77 per cent of Canadians not only supportive of a new pipeline, but of one that would be 'government-funded.' But it's a different story at the political level, where specific proposals to actually build and approve a new pipeline are already being met with hedging or new conditions. In mid-May, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he would support 'just doing one pipe,' but only if there was 'consensus.' When he was asked this week in Saskatoon about whether his vision for 'nation-building projects' included an oil pipeline, he said that any such project would need to be filled with 'decarbonized' barrels of oil — a term that seemed to confuse environmentalists and oil advocates alike. Then, on Friday, Carney said nothing was getting built without 'a consensus of all the provinces, and Indigenous people.' In Quebec, opponents haven't even needed a specific pipeline proposal to start mobilizing against it. 'We will not allow the government to build a pipeline through Quebec,' Bloc Québécois MP Patrick Bonin said in the House of Commons this week. But probably the most dramatic about-face was Eby. At a premiers' meeting last month, Eby dodged questions about whether he would support a revived Northern Gateway project, saying that getting 'heavy oil to tidewater' was an Alberta priority. 'My priority is to … decarbonize and drive our economy in British Columbia,' he said. The Liberals have reintroduced a measure that would extend Canadian citizenship to people who have never lived in Canada – and may not even speak either of the official languages. Under the new terms, anyone looking to claim inherited Canadian citizenship needs only one parent who is themselves a Canadian and has lived in the country for a cumulative 1,095 days. So, in extreme case, this technically extends citizenship to the children of people who left the country as toddlers. This wasn't the Liberal government's idea, though. It's the result of an Ontario Superior Court decision ruling that a 'first generation limit' on inherited Canadian citizenship was unconstitutional. Specifically, the court found that the measure violated the Charter right to freedom from discrimination based on 'national or ethnic origin,' since being born outside Canada is technically a kind of national origin. As the decision reads, 'it treats differently those Canadians who became Canadians at birth because they were born in Canada from those Canadians who obtained their citizenship by descent on their birth outside of Canada.' Get all of these insights and more into your inbox by signing up for the First Reading newsletter. Prolific B.C. drunk driver could face deportation after dozens of driving bans over 30 years Chris Selley: Earth to Liberals — First Nations are not an anti-development monolith
Hamilton Spectator
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
MLA says marriage can weather Bill 15. What of Eby's relationship with First Nations?
VICTORIA - Grand Chief Stewart Phillip is among the fiercest critics of the British Columbia government's planned legislation to fast track infrastructure projects, saying their development 'flouted First Nations' basic human rights.' His wife, Joan Phillip, says she'll be voting for the bills on Wednesday as a member of Premier David Eby's government. She said Monday that she doesn't talk too much 'shop' with her husband. 'We have been married for 40 years, going on 41 years, and we have known each other longer,' she said. 'So I think we will weather this.' The bigger question is if the government's relationship with First Nations is just as sturdy, amid condemnation of bills 14 and 15, which the government says are needed to respond to the threat of United States tariffs. Surrounded by reporters at the legislature, Joan Phillip, MLA for Vancouver-Strathcona, said she would support both bills, which critics including her husband say undermine the government's obligation to consult First Nations under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. 'I have every confidence in our government and their ongoing commitment to DRIPA,' she said. 'So I support the bill and I have read it.' The government says Bill 15 is to speed up public and private infrastructure projects, while Bill 14 would streamline permitting for renewable energy projects, such as wind farms. Stewart Phillip, of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, isn't convinced. 'If the (province) wants to fast-track projects, these (bills) are not going to do that, they are setting the stage for bigger fights,' he said on May 15 after a meeting with Eby as part of a delegation from the First Nations Leadership Council. Chief Don Tom of the Tsartlip First Nation in Greater Victoria said at a protest in downtown Victoria on Monday, steps away from the legislature, that the 'era of trust' with Eby's government is over if the two bills pass this week. Tom added that First Nations would do everything in their legal power to kill both bills, adding that First Nations would remember the actions of the government at the next election. Tom said that this won't just apply to the premier, but every MLA who voted for the bills. 'It's the people who care about the environment, and the well-being of British Columbia, who voted for the B.C. NDP,' Tom said. '(We) are going to remember the next election, where they stood on issues and how they used their power and what they used their power for.' Tom, who also attended the May 15 meeting with Eby, said First Nations have 'a good record in the court system' when it comes to protecting their constitutional rights for consultation. Tom added that he has made these points to Eby himself, only to be met with 'silence' or a 'simple thank you,' but nothing to indicate a change in course. 'I don't find them (meetings with government) beneficial,' he said. 'They are just government telling us what they are going to do,' Tom said. Joan Phillip said the government would 'weather this storm' and continue to seek and receive 'informed consent' from Indigenous titleholders. 'I think it's unfortunate and I can understand them feeling that way,' she said of Tom's comments. 'We have been trampled on by many former governments,' she said of First Nations people. 'But since 2017, we have done so much in terms of honouring the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Peoples. We have got our action plan, and we are going to continue to honour those relationships that we have.' First Nations want both bills withdrawn or revised, saying they undermine environmental standards and the constitutional rights of consultation for First Nations. They have also been opposed by the Union of B.C. Municipalities and other critics. The government wants both Bill 14 and Bill 15 to pass Wednesday after invoking closure on the bills. Wednesday's vote will be a confidence vote with Speaker Raj Chouhan expected to cast the deciding vote. Conservative Party of B.C. Leader John Rustad said his party would take every opportunity to bring down Eby's government with five confidence votes scheduled this week. 'I challenge him,' Rustad said. 'Go to the lieutenant-governor's house (and) drop the writ,' he said. Speaking at a mining announcement in Vancouver, Eby said he was confident bills 14 and 15 would pass. Tom said he had been talking with New Democrat MLAs to convince them to drop their support for the bills, but declined to reveal their names. However, Joan Phillip wasn't one of them, he said. Tom said he admires the relationship between Joan and Stewart Phillip. 'They have stood with each other through thick and thin, and if any relationship can handle this, it is theirs,' Tom said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
‘Deeply disappointed' First Nations in B.C. want Eby to kill fast-track bills
VICTORIA - First Nations leaders are calling on B.C. Premier David Eby to immediately 'kill' two pieces of legislation that would fast-track projects in response to U.S. government tariffs, with one leader saying they could take the government to court if it presses ahead. Robert Phillips chaired a meeting between First Nations leaders and Eby to discuss the bill that resulted in a statement from the leaders on Thursday saying they were 'deeply disappointed' with the premier's refusal to withdraw the bills. 'We are in a position where our backs are against the wall and we are going to have to respond accordingly,' said Phillips, a member of the First Nations Leadership Council and First Nations Summit Political Executive. Asked about likelihood of litigation, Phillips said it was going to be a 'close call.' Phillips also pointed to other possible responses if government does not back off from the bills that First Nations say represent unilateralism and a step back on reconciliation. 'You could see direct action,' Phillips said. '(When) I say direct action, I don't necessarily mean protest, but maybe protest. All of this is on the table because the premier is not backing off.' Bill 14 is aimed at streamlining permitting for renewable energy projects, such as wind farms, while Bill 15 would accelerate public and private infrastructure projects. Phillips said First Nations leaders are dismayed, surprised and very upset about the actions of a government with which First Nations are usually 'very friendly.' Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs said in the post-meeting statement from the leadership council that 'unilateralism is not acceptable.' 'The province is saying 'trust us' and that they won't misuse the unfettered power these bills provide; however, considering the bills were created without consultation and co-operation and that the province continues to refuse any amendments, it is unclear what this trust would be based on,' he said. He said the proposed legislation undermined the future of reconciliation in B.C. and fast-tracking the bills would set the 'stage for bigger fights' between First Nations and government. Terry Teegee, a B.C. Assembly of First Nations regional chief, said in the statement he strongly condemned the government's 'unilateral and regressive' approach to drafting the bills. Eby said in a statement that the conversation with representatives from the First Nations Leadership Council was productive, respectful and at times 'frank.' He added that his government is committed to reconciliation. 'I committed that a private project proposed would not proceed through the faster processes outlined in this (bill) without the consent of the Nation whose core territory the private projects is on,' Eby said. Eby said both sides agreed to continue their conversation, but said the government would move forward to speed up schools, hospitals and 'projects of provincial significance' for the benefit of all communities. Phillips, who described himself as 'probably the most pro-business person' on the leadership council, said he understood the economic rationale for speeding up projects against the backdrop of American tariffs. 'We all agree we need public hospitals, we need public schools, we need infrastructure,' he said. 'But when you talk about major projects that potentially could run roughshod over Aboriginal rights and title and treaty rights, that is a definite problem,' he said. B.C.'s Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma meanwhile said in the legislature that the government 'made an error' in not adequately consulting First Nations on Bill 15. Opposition Conservative Leader John Rustad renewed his call for the government to withdraw the legislation to allow for proper consultation. 'David Eby seems hell bent on just wanting to say, 'it's my way or the highway,'' Rustad said. B.C. Green Party member Rob Botterell said his party opposed Bill 15 for a range of reasons, including the lack of consultation with First Nations. 'It's a very broad piece of legislation that reserves a whole ton of power and decision-making to cabinet,' Botterell said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025.
Global News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Global News
First Nations demand B.C. government ‘kill' bills to fast-track projects
First Nations leaders are calling on Premier David Eby to immediately 'kill' two pieces of legislation that would fast-track projects in response to U.S. government tariffs. The statement from the First Nations Leadership Council comes after Premier David Eby met with leaders, who say they are 'deeply disappointed' that he rejected their quest to withdraw the two bills. Bill 14 is aimed at streamlining permitting for renewable energy projects, such as wind farms, while Bill 15 would accelerate public and private infrastructure projects. 9:08 Political Panel: White House Meeting and BC's Bill 15 Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs says the government is asking them to trust that it won't misuse the powers the bills provide, but its unclear what the trust would be based on because it failed to adequately consult First Nations on the two bills. Story continues below advertisement He says the proposed legislation undermines the future of Reconciliation in B.C. and that fast-tracking the bills would set the 'stage for bigger fights' between First Nations and government. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Terry Teegee, a B.C. Assembly of First Nations regional chief, says he 'strongly condemns' the government's 'unilateral and regressive' approach to drafting the bills. B.C.'s Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma says her government 'made an error' in not adequately consulting First Nations on Bill 15. Her admission came during debate Thursday in the legislature over concerns relayed by the First Nations Leadership Council, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, and the B.C. Assembly of First Nations. 1:57 Mining association calls for fast-tracking permits Ma has rejected the complaints of First Nations and environmentalists, saying the proposed bill neither changes environmental standards nor the constitutional rights of First Nations to be consulted on projects. Story continues below advertisement But she acknowledged that the government has misread the interests of Indigenous leaders and promises that her government will consult First Nations widely on the regulations. Opposition Conservative Leader John Rustad renewed his call on Thursday for the government to withdraw the bill to allow for proper consultations. 'David Eby seems hell bent on just wanting to say, 'it's my way or the highway,'' Rustad says. B.C. Green Party member Rob Botterell says his party opposes the bill for a range of reasons, including the lack of consultation with First Nations. 'It's a very broad piece of legislation that reserves a whole ton of power and decision-making to cabinet,' Botterell says.
Winnipeg Free Press
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
B.C. minister says government erred in not consulting First Nations on legislation
VICTORIA – B.C.'s Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma says her government 'made an error' in not adequately consulting First Nations on a bill proposing to speed up private and public infrastructure projects. Her admission came during debate on Bill 15 in the legislature about concerns relayed by the First Nations Leadership Council, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, and the B.C. Assembly of First Nations. Those opposed to the bill say it either needs to be fixed or killed because it undermines environmental assessments and the constitutional rights of First Nations to be consulted. Ma rejects the complaints, saying the proposed bill neither changes environmental standards nor the constitutional rights of First Nations to be consulted on projects. But she acknowledges that the government has misread the interests of Indigenous leaders and promises that her government will consult First Nations widely on the regulations. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Ma and Premier David Eby, who has already met with First Nations leaders about Bill 15, are scheduled to meet with them again later today. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025.
