OTTAWA – Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson says a Conservative motion declaring support for a pipeline is a cynical ploy designed to divide MPs.
The House of Commons is set to vote later today on a motion that says MPs support construction of a pipeline to carry Alberta bitumen to the coast, along with an “appropriate amendment” to legislation banning most oil tankers off the northern B.C. coast.
Prime Minister Mark Carney signed a memorandum of understanding last month with the Alberta government that sets out an agreement to work toward the approval of a pipeline project.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s motion borrows language from the Alberta deal but states the tanker ban should be lifted, while the memorandum says it could be changed if necessary.
The Conservatives say it’s time for Liberal MPs to clearly state whether they want a pipeline to be built.
Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull Masty says she thinks the motion is “an immature waste of parliamentary time” and an insult to Indigenous Peoples.
