Published 1:00 pm Thursday, November 27, 2025 B.C. Premier David Eby says he doubts a new northern pipeline will go ahead without public subsidies and coastal First Nations support. He wants to steer the conversation toward how to increase domestic refining capacity to create more jobs from Canadian oil. “But the bottom line for us is that we need to make sure that this project doesn’t become an energy vampire,” he said Earlier in the day on Thursday (Nov. 27), Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed the framework deal to plan a new pipeline to get more Alberta oil to Asian markets. In exchange for federal support, Smith agreed to a slate of climate-related benchmarks, which includes a renewal of the commitment to make Alberta net-zero by 2050. The two sides also agree to develop a nuclear generation strategy, boost electrical generation for AI data centres and increase capacity for the Trans Mountain pipeline. This deal was negotiated without Eby’s involvement and without consulting the coastal First Nations. There is a federal moratorium on large oil tanker traffic along the north coast of B.C. that would need to be amended or rescinded for a new pipeline to be built. Coastal First Nations want the moratorium kept in place. The agreement commits to “an appropriate adjustment” to the tanker ban should the project be approved. The MOU requires the project to be financed by the private sector, and for there to be immediate trilateral discussions among Alberta, B.C. and the federal government, as well as “meaningful consultation with Indigenous Peoples.” Coastal First Nations president Marilyn Slett held a press conference on Thursday, reiterating her opposition to rescinding the tanker ban, saying the nations have no interest in becoming equity partners. More to come.
B.C. Premier Eby doesnt want Albertas proposed pipeline to be energy vampire
