Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is preparing to unveil the first wave of its “projects of national interest,” but no oil pipelines are reportedly among those set to be announced.Despite Carney’s pledge to make Canada an “energy superpower,” multiple sources have confirmed to Radio-Canada that “there is no [oil] pipeline project on the table.”The prime minister has not completely ruled out future pipeline support, telling Tout le monde en parle during the election campaign that Ottawa would “have to choose a few major projects, not necessarily pipelines, but maybe pipelines — we’ll see.”Carney also stated that there was a need for consensus with the provinces on any such development.A Liberal source stated that the absence of a pipeline on the initial list does not mean that one will never happen, and approval of a natural gas pipeline project is also not out of the question.Radio-Canada has also learned that some MPs plan to form an environmental caucus to press for more ambitious green policies..WATCH: Smith, Ford give Carney ‘benefit of the doubt’ on pipelines — but one is not enough.The last major oil pipeline built in Canada was the Trans Mountain expansion, which had a checkered development, as it was originally purchased by Ottawa for $4.7 billion in 2018 after Kinder Morgan walked away, and then saw costs balloon to more than $34 billion by the time of completion, far above the initial $21 billion estimate.Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has made no secret of her desire to see Ottawa prioritize a pipeline, particularly one connecting the oil sands to northern BC.She met with Carney earlier this year to raise the issue, but the prime minister was clear in stating that a private-sector backer would be essential before any project could move forward. So far, no company has stepped up to the plate.Smith’s office has expressed frustration with Ottawa’s regulatory environment, pointing to the federal cap on oil and gas emissions and the “tanker moratorium” off BC’s northern coast as obstacles.“Until these policies are changed, modified, or reversed, we will not attract the capital to keep our energy industry competitive and growing globally,” her office said in a written statement.In a letter Smith sent to Carney last May, she warned that “the absence of a pipeline” from the initial list of national projects would “perpetuate the current investment uncertainty and send a sobering signal to Albertans concerned about Ottawa’s commitment to national unity.”.Upon hearing the news, Tory leader Pierre Poilievre took to X, saying that Carney “will keep Trudeau’s shipping ban, production cap, and industrial carbon tax that have driven hundreds of billions of dollars in investment to the U.S. at Canada’s expense.“The champagne will be pouring at Trump Tower when they get the news.”Smith and Carney are set to meet in Edmonton on Wednesday, when the prime minister will be in town for the Liberal caucus meeting.
