Carney and Smith Unveil Plan for West Coast Pipeline

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced on July 2, 2026, the formal submission of a proposal for the West Coast Pipeline. The project aims to transport over one million barrels of bitumen per day from Bruderheim, Alberta, to a marine terminal at Roberts Bank in Delta, British Columbia, primarily for export to Asian markets. Estimated to cost between $35.2 billion and $43.7 billion, the pipeline will largely follow the existing Trans Mountain corridor. The project is a partnership between the federal government, the Government of Alberta, and Pembina Pipeline, which holds an initial 10 percent stake, with Trans Mountain Corporation leading construction and operations.

To facilitate the project, Carney negotiated the Canada-British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement with Premier David Eby. In exchange for approximately $20 billion in federal infrastructure funding—including $10 billion for the Roberts Bank terminal—Eby agreed that British Columbia would not legally oppose the pipeline. A critical component of the deal is the maintenance of the federal ban on heavy oil tankers along B.C.'s North Coast, which restricts the pipeline to a southern route. Federal support is further contingent on the development of the Pathways carbon capture and storage project in northern Alberta.

The announcement occurs against a backdrop of regional tension as Alberta prepares for a fall referendum on separation from Canada. While the project is intended to demonstrate that Canada can function as a unified economic entity, it faces criticism from federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre over the continued tanker ban and from Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi regarding the transparency of public financing. Construction is targeted to begin by September 1, 2027, with a federal designation as a project of national interest expected by October 1, 2026.