Can David Eby be brought onboard an oil pipeline? Two former NDP staffers weigh in
What’s really behind B.C. Premier David Eby’s hard “no” on an Alberta-to-B.C. oil pipeline—and is there anything that could sway him?
Alberta Edge guest host Falice Chin sits down with two NDP insiders to discuss the politics, pressures, and power plays shaping one of the country’s most consequential interprovincial fights. Keith McLaughlin and Shannon Greer—both former staffers under former Alberta premier Rachel Notley—break down some of the current competing interests and make the case for why it’s time for Prime Minister Mark Carney to haul the premiers of Alberta and B.C. into the “principal’s office.”
This podcast is generously supported by Don Archibald. The Hub thanks him for his ongoing support.
What are the core reasons behind BC Premier David Eby's opposition to an Alberta oil pipeline, and could anything change his stance?
Should Prime Minister Mark Carney intervene in the Alberta-BC pipeline dispute, and what would that look like?
What are the key competing interests at play in the Alberta-BC oil pipeline debate, as discussed by former NDP staffers?
Comments (1)
Interesting conversation. Keith is maybe the most level-headed NDPer I’ve ever heard speak.
I think there was a missed opportunity to challenge the stance that “BC gets nothing and assumes all of the risk” in a base pipeline scenario. Canada has polluter pays legislation, so the ultimate liability will fall on the pipeline operator to pay for and clean up any spills. If BC’s resources are committed to a response or clean up, then the province is to have their expenses reimbursed.
https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/about/news-room/fact-sheets/emergency-management-polluter-pay-principle.html
Secondly, BC does benefit even without a carve out from either the federal or Alberta governments. Property tax is paid along the way. As an example of how pipelines contribute to BC’s coffers, Enbridge paid $77M in property tax, $9M in corporate income tax, and $42M in other taxes to BC in 2024. TMX itself paid $42M in non-income tax (mostly property tax) across its system in the first 9 months of 2024 alone.
https://www.enbridge.com/projects-and-infrastructure/economic-benefit-pages/british-columbia
https://docs.transmountain.com/Corporate-Reports/TMC-FS-09-30-24-Final.pdf
Thirdly, the construction phase of the pipeline is not nothing. BC benefitted from significant direct infrastructure investment from outside the province. It employed people, paid taxes, and supported local suppliers. We don’t refrain from building bridges just because they employ more people during construction than regular operation.
https://www.transmountain.com/news/trans-mountain-corporation-provides-update-on-the-expansion-project
Fourth, consider all the deals that TMX and other pipelines cut with municipalities and First Nations along the way. TMX alone has signed mutual benefit agreements with 69 Indigenous communities worth over $650 million. That is money going directly to fund community infrastructure in BC, on top of the permanent operational jobs created.
Finally, the contributions that go to Canada benefit all Canadians. BCers may share the frustrations of Albertans that they don’t get as much back from the federal government as they pay in, but it still funds the collective benefits that all Canadians, British Columbians included, rely on—from healthcare transfers to national defense.