Canada moves to fast-track Alberta's West Coast oil pipeline as national interest project
The federal government has begun a 30-day consultation period to list Alberta’s proposed West Coast oil pipeline as a national-interest project under Bill C-5.
On August 1 the Canada Gazette published a formal notice that initiates the mandatory 30-day period for designating Alberta’s proposed West Coast oil pipeline as a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act (Bill C-5). If approved, the pipeline - slated to move roughly one million barrels of crude each day along a 1,250-kilometre corridor mirroring the Trans-Mountain route - would receive expedited approvals, including faster environmental assessments.
The Alberta government argues the line will enhance the nation’s energy independence and global market competitiveness. Environmental Defence’s associate director of national climate, Julia Levin, condemned the rapid move, accusing the government of sidestepping proper oversight. The notice assigns Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc to work with Alberta, British Columbia and Indigenous communities, and sets a September 18 deadline for public submissions on the designation.