Ottawa Moves to List Alberta-Backed West Coast Pipeline as National Interest Project

The federal government is advancing the process to designate a proposed oil pipeline to the West Coast as a “national interest” project.

Designating a project as being in national interest under the Building Canada Act allows the government to fast-track approvals and skirt some environmental laws.

A notice published in the Canada Gazette on Aug. 1 sets a Sept. 18 deadline to submit comments on the national interest designation.

The government’s notice says Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc will work with the Alberta and B.C. governments while consultations with Indigenous communities are underway.

The proposed pipeline is a central component of an energy agreement between the federal and Alberta governments.

The roughly 1,250-kilometre pipeline would carry upwards of one million barrels of crude oil from Bruderheim, Alta. to a port near Delta, B.C. for shipment to international markets.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2026.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press

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