General

Harper criticizes foreign influence on Northern Gateway debate

Pipelines should be a Canadian decision, says PM

A decision on the Northern Gateway pipeline should rest in the hands of Canadians only, not foreign interest groups, Stephen Harper said in an interview with the CBC on Monday night. The $5.5 billion dollar project, proposed by Canadian oil and gas company Enbridge, envisions building two pipelines that will stretch almost 1,200 km from the Alberta oil sands to the West Coast, transporting up to 525,000 barrels of oil daily. Harper and Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver raised the issue earlier this month that local environmental groups who are opposed to the project are receiving funds from outside Canada, particularly the United States. “Just because certain people in the United States would like to see Canada be one giant national park for the northern half of North America, I don’t think that’s part of what our review process is all about,” Harper said in an interview with Peter Mansbridge. Environmental groups, on the other hand, argue that much of the funding for the proposed pipelines would come from outside Canada as well.

CBC

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
FILED UNDER: