Friday, October 2, 2026
Prime Minister Mark Carney, announced that the Government of Canada is officially listing the new West Coast Oil Pipeline, now known as Pacific Link, as a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act.
The federal government has already referred 28 nation-building initiatives to the new Major Projects Office (MPO).
According to the federal government, over the past three months, the Major Projects Office (MPO) conducted consultations on the pipeline proposal to determine whether this project is in Canada’s national interest, as defined by the core factors outlined in the Act. The MPO consulted with more than 130 Indigenous communities near or along potential routes in Alberta and British Columbia, as well as with federal departments and the Government of British Columbia.
“Canada has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to become a global energy superpower. To create hundreds of thousands of good jobs. To transform our economy. To diversify our trade. To become less reliant on a single trade partner. To achieve greater strategic autonomy, so we can continue to live our lives as we choose. Pacific Link is critical to this mission. To seize this opportunity, we are building together – boldly, sustainably, and in true partnership with Indigenous Peoples. In a more dangerous, divided world, Canada is working,” said Carney.
Canada and Alberta will share equal ownership of Pacific Link. Indigenous communities will be offered a minimum of 10 per cent ownership interest, financed through Canada and Alberta’s Indigenous Loan Guarantee Programs. Pembina Pipeline Corporation is a private sector investor and is offering its expertise to project development, which is being led by the Trans Mountain Corporation – the company that just built the largest oil pipeline to Canada’s West Coast. The pipeline will follow a southern route which protects British Columbia’s North Coast and avoids highly sensitive ecosystems, including the Great Bear Sea.
“Today marks a significant victory for Alberta’s and Canada’s energy future. The listing of Pacific Link as a project of national interest demonstrates what can be achieved when governments work together to advance nation-building infrastructure. Today marks an important step toward expanding market access, strengthening our economy, and reinforcing Alberta’s position as a reliable global energy supplier,” said Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
The MPO will work to finalise those conditions by September 1, 2027, clearing the way to get shovels in the ground.
Over the next year, the MPO, supported by the Canada Energy Regulator (CER), will lead the federal review process and consultations with all stakeholders on the conditions for this project – including the ownership, benefits, respect for Indigenous rights, environmental protections, and local hiring and oversight – with Indigenous Peoples involved from the start.
Featured image: (Government of Canada)
