West Coast Pipeline proposal submitted to Ottawa as project of national interest

Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney formally submitted the West Coast Pipeline proposal to the federal Major Projects Office on Thursday evening in Calgary, framing it as a project of national interest.

The proposed pipeline will follow the existing Trans Mountain corridor, running from Bruderheim, Alberta to B.C.'s southwest coast. Trans Mountain Corporation will plan and construct the pipeline with support from Pembina Pipeline Corporation, which Carney said will bring "private sector expertise and capital discipline" to the project.

Smith had previously pushed for a northern B.C. route but said the southern option offers "key advantages," including existing infrastructure and established relationships with Indigenous partners. The southern route will likely reach market faster, she said, with comparable construction costs.

"This is not just another energy project, it's a nation-building project that will unlock wealth and opportunity for millions of people across the country," Smith said.

The announcement came a day after Carney met with B.C. Premier David Eby in Vancouver to sign a multibillion-dollar infrastructure agreement that includes a commitment to maintain the federal north coast tanker ban—a stipulation that effectively rules out a northern pipeline route. The ban prohibits vessels carrying more than 12,500 metric tons of crude oil or persistent oil products from loading at ports along B.C.'s north coast.

"We will continue to work together, Albertans, British Columbians, with industry and Indigenous partners at one table instead of many to deliver," Carney said.