British ColumbiaB.C. Premier David Eby is sharply criticizing Sask. Premier Scott Moe over supposed “secret conversations” with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Ottawa on an energy plan that could include a new oil pipeline to B.C.’s North Coast. Eby says the proposed plan risks destabilizing First Nations’ support for major projectsShaurya Kshatri · CBC News · Posted: Nov 20, 2025 8:40 PM EST | Last Updated: 17 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.B.C. Premier David Eby says he “almost fell out of his seat” when he learned Sask. Premier Scott Moe is involved in talks with Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on a proposed oil pipeline to B.C.’s North Coast. (Katie DeRosa/CBC)B.C. Premier David Eby is sharply criticizing Sask. Premier Scott Moe over supposed “secret conversations” with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Ottawa on an energy plan that could include a new oil pipeline to B.C.’s North Coast. “I almost fell out of my seat when I heard Scott Moe say that he was part of these conversations,” Eby said in an interview with CBC’s Power & Politics on Thursday.“These discussions, which I was completely unaware of … about what happens in British Columbia.”A senior government official told CBC’s parliamentary bureau this week that the federal and Alberta governments were close to signing a memorandum of understanding on a new pipeline, which would allow some tanker traffic on the northern B.C. coast. WATCH | Eby slams ‘secret’ pipeline talks between Ottawa, Alberta, Sask.:B.C. premier slams ‘secret’ pipeline talks between Ottawa, Alberta, Sask. | Power & PoliticsB.C. Premier David Eby tells Power & Politics he ‘almost fell out of his seat’ when he learned Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is involved in talks with Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith as they close in on a memorandum of understanding that would clear the way for an oil pipeline to the B.C. coast. Eby calls the move a ‘broadside attack on an oil tanker ban that is the foundation of economic growth mapped out for the entire country.’A federally-imposed ban currently prohibits oil tankers in B.C.’s North Coast from carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of crude oil, or persistent oil products, as cargo.Eby said even the prospect of exemptions to the tanker ban threatens what he called a “fragile consensus” over major resource development across B.C.“We have four times more major projects on the board than any other province in Canada,” he said. “The vast majority of those projects rely on the support of coastal First Nations, for whom the oil tanker ban is the sole reason they’re able to tolerate those other projects,” Eby added. “This is a broadside attack on that ban.”Eby warned that carving out exemptions to a tanker ban “is like explaining to a vegetarian that they’ll still be a vegetarian if they eat a few steaks.”WATCH | B.C.-Alberta tensions mount over pipeline:Tensions mount between B.C. and Alberta over pipelinesTensions have ramped up between B.C. and Alberta over the idea of an oil pipeline to B.C.’s North Coast, with Danielle Smith accusing David Eby of being “un-Canadian” and Eby slamming Smith for advancing what he calls a fictional pipeline. Katie DeRosa has more on a battle that’s pitting western provinces against each other. Eby calls proposal unrealistic and destabilizingThe premier dismissed the pipeline plan as not grounded in reality.He maintained the pipeline is not going to happen, saying it isn’t real and hasn’t secured a proponent, funding or environmental assessment approval.Eby also compared Moe and Smith’s involvement to “a couple tourists wearing sandals wandering into the woods on the North Shore of Vancouver saying, ‘Don’t worry about us, we know where we’re going.’” B.C.’s premier said rolling back the tanker moratorium would jeopardize billions in coastal economic activity, and further endanger communities already responding to marine emergencies.The Heiltsuk Nation along the Central Coast is currently responding to a freight barge stacked high with shipping containers and taking on water.The First Nation has said the possibility of an exemption to the ban “could not come at a worse time,” and that “a ban is not a ban if it includes exceptions.”A major oil spill caused by the sinking of the tugboat Nathan E. Stewart west of Bella Bella in October 2016 is among the most notable marine disasters in the area.Opposition says Eby is ‘fear-mongering’The leader of British Columbia’s Official Opposition says his party has been talking with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith about her plans to build a pipeline.WATCH | B.C. offers concessions to ward off new pipeline:B.C. now backing plan to boost Trans Mountain pipeline capacityWith news that the federal government and Alberta are closing in on a new energy deal that reportedly includes a path for a new oil pipeline to the West Coast, B.C. is now reversing course and backing plans to expand Trans Mountain’s capacity.Conservative Leader John Rustad says it’s a problem that Eby is in the dark on the deal. “The premier is not at the table on that one because he’s got his head in the sand,” Rustad said.He said Eby’s opposition to the project shows a lack of national vision.“My perspective is very simple: get to the table, work with the other premiers, work with Canada and actually start building this nation,” the Conservative leader said.While Rustad said he has not been involved in the proposed MOU, he supports Alberta’s plans to get its oil to markets other than the United States, and get full value for it. “There are benefits to Alberta, but also to every province,” he said.”I’ve talked to First Nations that want to participate in economic reconciliation. I think [Eby] is fear-mongering, quite frankly,” he added.In the meantime, Eby says B.C. is instead focused on increasing oil capacity of the existing taxpayer-owned Trans Mountain pipeline. The $34-billion Trans Mountain expansion project began transporting oil from Edmonton to the Vancouver area in May 2024 and is operating at about 80 to 85 per cent of its capacity.ABOUT THE AUTHORShaurya Kshatri is a web writer and reporter at CBC News Vancouver. You can reach him at shaurya.kshatri@cbc.caWith files from CBC’s Power & Politics and Katie DeRosa
B.C. premier blasts secret talks on proposed North Coast pipeline between Alberta, Sask.
