The Alberta government is attempting to revive ambitions to export oil to the Pacific, announcing a new proposal Wednesday for a major pipeline that would carry crude from Edmonton to the northwest coast of British Columbia.

Premier Danielle Smith said the province will commit $14 million to draft a new pipeline application, with support from industry and Indigenous business groups. 

The plan seeks to transport 1 million barrels of oil per day to either Prince Rupert or Kitimat, B.C., and submit an application to Ottawa to fast-track the project under the special "nation-building" projects law by May 2026. 

If approved, Alberta would hand construction over to a private sector proponent.

The proposal immediately puts pressure on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s "grand bargain" to link new fossil fuel infrastructure approval with reductions in oil sands emissions. 

While the proposal could help Alberta export large volumes of oil via the B.C. coast, the proposal faces significant challenges, including opposition from First Nations and the federal ban on significant oil tanker traffic along the north B.C. coast, which Smith urges Ottawa to repeal or modify.  

"This is a test of whether Canada works as a country," Smith said in Calgary, arguing coastal provinces owe it to landlocked ones to help export their resources. She expressed hope Carney would signal support for the pipeline by mid-November.

Federal Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson confirmed Ottawa is open to the idea, but only if the Pathways Alliance carbon capture project to reduce oil and gas emissions is built. 

Hodgson also stressed that any project must include "meaningful consultations" with Indigenous nations and other affected jurisdictions, and align with climate objectives.

Opposition, however, was swift. B.C. Premier David Eby called the federal tanker ban "foundational" to the province and its Indigenous nations.

Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative President Marilyn Slett confirmed that coastal First Nations will not support the project. 

"As the rights and titleholders of B.C. North and Central Coast and Haida Gwaii, we must inform Premier Smith once again that there is no support," Slett said.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, called the proposal "a direct assault on the inherent and constitutionally protected title and rights of the First Nations." 

However, Smith acknowledged laws like the tanker ban would need to be changed to unlock Canada's "economic potential."

Smith hinted in June that Alberta would present the pipeline proposal to Prime Minister Mark Carney for approval to help diversify Canada’s oil export market.