Pacific Link pipeline

Up first is Peter Tertzakian, writing on why Canada must put public dollars behind big infrastructure.

The key moment of last week's Fort McMurray news conference on the Pacific Link oil pipeline came as Mark Carney was asked how much the new venture was actually going to cost the public.

The Canadian taxpayer is going to make a lot of money off this pipeline, was the prime minister's retort.

The federal and Alberta governments will share equal ownership of the proposed one million barrel a day oil pipeline to the West Coast.

Indigenous communities will be offered at least 10% ownership, but the only private sector involvement so far is Pembina Pipeline Corporation, which will have a 10% economic interest.

Given that so many public dollars are earmarked for the project, the Prime Minister's words deserve more explanation, especially when Canadians will ask why governments have to be involved if Pacific Link will make a lot of money.

it's a reasonable question.

If pipelines or manufacturing facilities, or mines, can't generate a sufficiently high financial return for investors on their own, why should governments support, subsidize, or take an ownership stake in them? The answer, and the truth of this moment, is the financial frameworks we treat as supremely important for greenlighting projects can inadvertently thwart the building of new long-life assets of the kind that created modern prosperity in Canada.

I'm Marcia Young.

Ottawa declared the proposed Pacific Link oil pipeline to be a project of national interest last week.

It is meant to supercharge Canada's energy exports.

The feds want to start construction next year, but that timeframe is not sitting well with First Nations leaders in BC.

Um, no doubt there.

Stu Math First Nation chief, Dalton Silver, is gearing up for a fight.

The proposed Pacific Link pipeline will likely go through the BC First Nation's traditional territory.

And I am not in favor of this, especially the way it's unfolded, and the threats that it poses to, to our territory with, uh, you know, the, the, the fish and the wildlife, uh-

I want to play, this is about 20 seconds long of the conversation I had with Heather Exner-Perot.

And I said, if you're looking at the possibility of this pipeline happening, and I'm talking about this Pacific Link pipeline, I want to talk with you about, Brian.

I said, on a scale of one to 10, 10 is it's absolutely happening.

One is it's not likely going to happen.

It was always inevitable to me.

finally the stars are aligning to make it happen

the reason i wanted to play that clip brian is i have a lot of people that are texting into the show that are saying i'll believe it when i see it i don't think this is going to come to fruition do you think this pacific link pipeline is getting built

well the irony is i had her on my podcast just a couple hours after you didn't you're a tough act to follow there bray

Speaker, there is a chance to build with Canadian steel.

It's called the Pacific Link Pipeline.

The Leader of the Opposition might be sleeping then, he might be in the ground, but we're putting Canadian steel in the ground with the Pacific Link Pipeline.

The workers of Stelco deserve better from their American-owned parent who made representations.

This government will pursue them to the full force of the law.