West Coast Oil Pipeline Declared National Interest Project

Summary#

The Governor in Council has added the West Coast Oil Pipeline to Schedule 1 of the Building Canada Act. The order, made on October 1, 2026, moves the project into the Act’s special “national interest” regulatory framework so federal permitting and conditions can be coordinated under a single review process.

What it does#

• Adds the West Coast Oil Pipeline to the list of national interest projects under the Building Canada Act.
• Lets federal authorities bundle many required federal permits and authorizations into one consolidated Conditions Document instead of many separate approvals.
• Starts a post-listing regulatory review that will include public hearings by the Commission of the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) and further consultation with Indigenous communities.
• Says the Government considered consultations and decided the duty to consult Indigenous peoples in relation to the listing was met.
• Does not itself authorize construction. Final permission to build would depend on the Conditions Document and any required permits produced during the later review.

Who's affected#

• The companies leading the project: Trans Mountain Corporation, the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission, and Pembina Pipeline Corporation.
• Indigenous peoples and communities along the proposed route — the Major Projects Office says it identified and consulted over 130 potentially affected Indigenous communities between July 3 and September 18, 2026.
• People and businesses in Alberta and British Columbia near the pipeline corridor and proposed marine terminal.
• Oil producers, exporters and related supply-chain businesses (steel, construction, engineering).
• Environmental groups, coastal communities and anyone concerned about marine shipping and species such as the Southern Resident Killer Whale.

Why it matters#

• Capacity and markets: the pipeline is described as able to carry 1 million barrels per day of crude from Bruderheim, Alberta, to a deepwater port near Delta, B.C. That could give Canada much more direct access to overseas buyers and reduce dependence on U.S. export routes.
• Economic scale: government and industry analyses cited in the Order project large economic effects if the pipeline is built — for example, an estimate of roughly C$20 billion in incremental annual exports under a specific scenario, and modelling that links added capacity to billions in annual revenue gains. These are projections, not guarantees.
• Costs and finance: the Proponent’s estimated project cost range is C$35.2 billion to C$43.7 billion, and governments have said they will support early work while financing plans are developed.
• Climate and environment: construction emissions are estimated at about 1.4–1.5 Mt CO2e (total), annual pipeline operations about 0.2 Mt CO2e, and projected associated upstream emissions in one scenario of 15.5–18.2 Mt CO2e per year. The Order notes concerns about marine and terrestrial impacts (including on fish, habitat and endangered whales) and says those impacts will be examined and conditions must be set during the post‑listing review.
• Legal and procedural effect: listing gives the project earlier regulatory certainty and a single coordinated review path, but it does not bypass later detailed technical reviews, public hearings, or the need to satisfy conditions before construction can proceed.