Today, the Prime Minister was in Fort McMurray, Alberta, where he announced that the Government of Canada is officially listing the West Coast Oil Pipeline, now known as Pacific Link, as a project of national interest.
Pacific Link will reduce our dependence on the United States by allowing Canada to export an additional one million barrels a day to growing markets in Asia. It will create 140,000 jobs across the country and generate over $20 billion in GDP per year, and $100 billion in government revenue by 2060 – revenue that will help build the infrastructure and homes Albertans, British Columbians, and all Canadians need, and protect the social programs they rely on every day, from health care and dental care to child care.
The project will follow a southern route, which protects British Columbia’s North Coast and avoids highly sensitive ecosystems, including the Great Bear Sea. Canada and Alberta will share equal ownership of this project, offering Indigenous communities a minimum of 10% ownership interest, financed through Canada and Alberta’s Indigenous Loan Guarantee Programs, with an additional 10% economic interest held by Pembina Pipeline Corporation, a private sector investor and contributor of expertise.
Pacific Link is being advanced in tandem with the Pathways Project, one of the world’s largest carbon capture and storage projects, which will reduce emissions in the oil sands equivalent to taking 90% of Alberta’s cars off the road, ensuring the oil Canada exports has some of the lowest carbon intensity in the world, as well as create 40,000 jobs and add $16.5 billion to Canada’s GDP.
After a dedicated consultation phase that gathered information about the listing from Indigenous communities whose rights may be affected, provinces and territories, federal departments, and interested parties, it was determined the project was a strong candidate under all five factors in the Building Canada Act.
Over the next year, the Major Projects Office (MPO) – supported by the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) – will undertake the federal review process and development of a conditions document. This review process will include Indigenous consultation; public hearings led by the CER on the technical, environmental, social, cultural, health, safety, and security elements of the project, as well as potential adverse effects on the rights of Indigenous peoples; and coordination by the MPO with other federal permitting departments to integrate all permits into the final conditions document. The MPO will work to finalise those conditions by September 1, 2027, clearing the way to get shovels in the ground.
