NDP Leader Avi Lewis shared the following statement in response to the oil pipeline proposal from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith:

“Today’s announcement shows what this federal government will protect above all else: the profits of Big Oil.

As we mark the five-year anniversary of a heat dome that killed 619 people in British Columbia – and as many communities across the country are facing extreme weather right now – Canadians deserve leadership that protects us. Instead, this government is doubling down on yesterday’s failed solutions and dragging us into further danger, risk and insecurity.

The opaque and confusing public-private partnership ownership structure means it’s very likely that we, the public, will not only bear the risks and the damages, but also the lion’s share of the costs.

Canada’s New Democrats unequivocally oppose this pipeline proposal. If anything, this is a pipeline to the courts. It ignores the federal government’s legal responsibility to meaningfully consult Indigenous nations, including Treaty 8 nations in Alberta, threatens endangered species, and accelerates climate change. It will sow the very divisions the Prime Minister claims he wants to avoid.

We do not achieve unity or prosperity from projects that pit communities against one another, all while a handful of oil and gas CEOs walk away with enormous profits.

While we’re stuck fighting yesterday’s battles over pipelines, and the Prime Minister openly admits that our emissions will rise, the rest of the world is racing ahead on renewables. We cannot afford to fall behind while other countries build the industries of the future.

Canadians deserve better than being told our only choice is another fight over another pipeline.

This country needs an alternative to the Liberal-Conservative consensus that is doubling down on a future of climate-wrecking corporate welfare.

New Democrats are ready to build something bigger, safer, and better – a Canada that is a renewable energy superpower, with an east-west clean electricity grid and good green jobs in every region. Lower costs for families with home retrofits and heat pumps for all. Investing in the care economy as a nation-building project.

That’s what it looks like to build big things that actually unite this country.”