Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has designated the proposed Pacific Link oil pipeline as Canada’s first project of national interest under the Building Canada Act.
The proposed 1,200-kilometre pipeline would run from Bruderheim, Alberta, to Delta, British Columbia, and carry an additional one million barrels of oil per day, mainly for export to Asian markets.
“This is true nation building, and it will take a nation to build it,” Carney said Thursday, according to CTV News.
Carney said the project would help Canada reduce its reliance on the US, which currently receives about 90 percent of Alberta’s oil.
The federal government says Pacific Link could create about 140,000 jobs and generate more than $20 billion in GDP annually and $100 billion in government revenue by 2060.
The designation puts the pipeline on an accelerated federal regulatory path, with the government aiming to finalise project conditions by September 2027.
Indigenous communities will be offered at least a 10 percent ownership stake in the project, while Canada and Alberta will share equal ownership.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the designation “a monumental day for our province and for our country,” according to CTV News.
The project has faced criticism from environmental groups, the federal NDP and some Indigenous representatives over its cost, environmental impact and consultation process.
