You have to wonder when the opponents of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project will realize how much it is needed and will abandon their efforts to stymie the project.
The latest blow for Trans Mountain opponents came Tuesday, when a Federal Court of Appeal ruled that the project should happen, and construction should continue. Take note of that; they didn’t say that construction could begin, they said construction should continue.
Trans Mountain, of course, has become a polarizing project, thanks to the federal government’s decision to approve it to begin with, then the government’s botched handling of it (and other pipeline projects), the decision to purchase the pipeline, the court ruling to delay the project for more consultation, and finally all of the appeals that have continued to dog the project.
Also worth noting is that about 68 per cent of the project has been approved, so the appeals will keep going.
There’s been plenty of speculation about the project and whether it will actually be completed, or whether this would be the final pipeline project ever approved and constructed in Canada.
But what we know is that Trans Mountain will benefit the economy, it will benefit the energy sector, it will create jobs and it is supported by the majority of Canadians.
It’s also an expansion of an existing pipeline with a strong safety record.
There’s been talk of someone stepping in to purchase the pipeline from the feds, possibly even a consortium of Indigenous groups. That should be great. This country will be far better off if we’re benefitting from the operation of the pipeline, rather than actually owning the pipeline.
Yet we continue to see certain groups oppose this project. They will likely take their fight to the Supreme Court, despite their past defeats.
There’s nothing wrong with fighting for a cause you believe in. We’ve previously praised the provincial Sask. Party government for continuing to fight the federal government on the carbon tax, because this tax is absolutely not in the best interest of the province.
The ongoing fight is likely the biggest reason for the Sask. Party’s current level of popularity in the province.
But sometimes you have to be smart enough to back away from a fight, and know that there won’t be benefits if you keep fighting. This appears to be the case with the Trans Mountain.
Since the project was shelved by a Supreme Court decision in 2018, it has been re-approved. And each time it has been appealed, those appeals have been defeated.
It’s hard to keep track of all the appeals that have occurred in the past eight months.
After all the appeals have been exhausted, the focus will shift to protesting. You’ll see blockades and illegal attempts by pipeline opponents to stop the project. And with all of the protests we’ll wonder if these people have jobs, and if they don’t have better things to do.
Once it’s finished, the economy will benefit, and oil will be shipped to market via pipeline, which is a far safer way to transport this valuable commodity than any other option.
So build the pipelines. Build other pipelines as well. Find the happy medium between what’s good for the economy and what’s good for the environment.
And most importantly, it’s time for the crusaders fighting pipelines to find another battle, and to recognize that the energy sector is going to be here for a long time to come.
