{"id":15448,"date":"2025-02-07T22:02:33","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T22:02:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/07\/west-east-pipeline-sees-political-support-but-experts-say-its-unlikely\/"},"modified":"2025-02-07T22:02:33","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T22:02:33","slug":"west-east-pipeline-sees-political-support-but-experts-say-its-unlikely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/07\/west-east-pipeline-sees-political-support-but-experts-say-its-unlikely\/","title":{"rendered":"West-East pipeline sees political support, but experts say it\u2019s unlikely"},"content":{"rendered":"


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It\u2019s been years since the prospect of a pipeline<\/a> to carry oil from the West to the East of Canada has been front and centre.<\/p>\n

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But new comments by the federal energy minister<\/a> amid U.S. tariff threats have many asking: could it finally happen?<\/p>\n

Trump has threatened a 10 per cent tariff on energy resources from Canada along with a 25 per cent tariff on all goods. His threat has leaders across industries and provinces, including energy and even Quebec \u2014 long opposed to a new oil pipeline \u2014 asking how to mitigate the threat.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing so dependent on the United States for the export of oil is a vulnerability,\u201d Natural Resources and Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told reporters on Thursday.<\/p>\n

The comments came a day before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held an economic summit to discuss ways to diversify trade among provinces and remove internal barriers to support each other.<\/p>\n

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At that summit, he was heard on a hot mic telling business leaders that Trump thinks absorbing Canada is the easiest way to benefit from its resources.<\/a><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tCould a West to East pipeline happen? Unlikely, experts say\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said just last month that she would like to see conversations resume regarding the previously proposed Northern Gateway pipeline and Energy East pipeline as a way to help Alberta move its oil more easily to international markets and elsewhere in Canada.<\/p>\n

Smith reiterated that call this week, telling Global News on Tuesday she was looking forward to speaking with her counterparts, in B.C. and Quebec in particular, about building more pipeline access on both coasts.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI hope that this has been a wake-up call to Western, to Eastern Canada, that they are 100 per cent reliant on oil coming in from foreign sources and gas coming in from foreign sources and we\u2019re a solution,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

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Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said he was hopeful it would happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would need a commitment, I think, at this point from the federal government that they are actually going to build and they\u2019re going to support not only that pipeline to create energy security for all Canadians with Canadian products,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut also support energy infrastructure and all transportation infrastructure so that a province like Saskatchewan is able to access our ports reliably, affordably.\u201d<\/p>\n

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