OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is defending his government's decision to approve the Kinder Morgan pipeline project in a new video posted on social media, calling the project safe.
"I wouldn’t approve major pipeline projects if I wasn’t confident they could be done safely. And they can be done safely because we've made a massive investment in protecting our oceans and coastlines – in BC and across the country," the video caption reads.
The video, posted to his Facebook and Twitter accounts, shows Trudeau speaking oceanside with the President and CEO of Ocean Networks Canada Kate Moran, and President of the B.C. Coast Pilots Rob Stewart about the federal government’s $1.5 billion ocean protection plan; and various measures aimed at enhancing the coast guard’s capacity on the west coast.
The federal government has been vocal in its backing of the Trans Mountain expansion of the pipeline between Alberta and the B.C. coast since the Texas-based company announced Sunday that it was suspending all non-essential spending on the project, citing British Columbia’s opposition.
The approval of the pipeline has had the Alberta and B.C. NDP premiers feuding for months, and so far neither side is showing any signs of backing down from their position. B.C. Premier John Horgan is taking the fight to court, while Alberta Premier Rachel Notley has said she is willing to buy the pipeline outright if necessary.
Environmental groups and Indigenous communities have been demonstrating against the pipeline going ahead, with some, including Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, being arrested at a work site in Burnaby, B.C.
The federal government, arguing that the pipeline is in the national interest, has said it is looking at regulatory, legal, and financial options to see the pipeline built, including investing in it.
Kinder Morgan has given a May 31 deadline for assurance the project can go ahead.
