BC Liberal MPs brace for upset constituents after Trans Mountain pipeline approval

But frustration is evident as MPs gather for weekly caucus meetings on Parliament Hill.

These are the first major pipeline decisions for Trudeau, whose Liberal government is trying to balance the oil industry’s desire to tap new markets in Asia with environmentalists’ concerns.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, who was arrested in November 2014 on Burnaby Mountain for protesting Kinder Morgan’s project, said in a statement Tuesday that he and fellow leaders will do “whatever it takes to stop the pipeline from going through”.

In 2013, she said she had agreed with the Alberta government that none of Alberta’s royalties from oil pipelines would go to B.C.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has approved a controversial proposal to triple the capacity of an oil pipeline to suburban Vancouver. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, a former B.C. NDP MLA, has slammed the decision, while the New Democrat Opposition in the legislature has said “Kinder Morgan can not go forward”.

However, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says building the pipeline won’t actually increase greenhouse gas emissions from her province because the NDP government’s climate plan would cap oilsands emissions at 100 megatonnes a year, and that the product would find its way to market anyway.

Kinder Morgan Canada has said it has 40 letters of support from First Nations communities.

“We are pleased with the progress we have made”.

“This is not a new thing for B.C., quite frankly”, said Notley.

“If we did expand heavy oil pipelines, it puts such a tremendous burden on other sectors to reduce emissions that it becomes unfeasible”, said Bruce.

Clark’s five conditions are subjective and practically meaningless, but they have allowed her to commit to – and dismiss – nothing.

Relating to the approval, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that as long as Kinder Morgan respects the stringent conditions, “this project will get built because it’s in the national interest of Canadians”.

“The federal government insists that it is committed to acting on climate change, but approving Kinder Morgan’s project contradicts its promises and undermines the government’s climate strategy and its global commitments”, challenged Ecojustice lawyer Karen Campbell in a statement.

“I want to remind everybody that we have followed every process, we’ve participated in good faith to the very best of our abilities in that regulatory process in all of our engagement efforts and planning”.

But as she nears the election, it appears the Premier is ready to campaign in favour of the highly contentious project.

Trans Mountain’s approval includes 157 conditions, cited by Trudeau when pressed on what he will do to ensure the project is actually built. Tuesday’s announcement has been met with fierce opposition from environmental groups, First Nations leaders, and politicians.

With that remaining work expected to be completed by this spring, the Dogwood Initiative is hosting events on Saturday to recruit volunteers who will canvass their neighbourhoods for enough support to trigger a province-wide referendum on the pipeline. Ms. Clark says B.C. has won significant improvements as a result of her “clear and consistent principles”.

The project will see the twinning of a pipeline from the oil sands in Alberta to a terminal at Burnaby in southern British Columbia.