Équiterre's reaction to the new pipeline project: false pretexts and a bad choice for the environment and communities

Montréal, July 2, 2026 — Équiterre is denouncing the fact that the federal government is using the false pretexts of national unity and geopolitics to justify welcoming a one-million-barrel-per-day pipeline project with open arms. The Alberta government wants the project to be designated as a "national interest project" by October 1.

The Prime Minister has invented a narrative of national unity around the construction of a pipeline that he is now trying to shove down our throats. 2026 geopolitics does not guarantee this pipeline's usefulness, as the world increasingly shifts toward renewables. If it goes ahead, the project could therefore become yet another heavy burden for taxpayers.

“The federal government has a choice to make. It can invest in projects that actually improve the lives of Canadians and their communities: repairing infrastructure, improving mobility, addressing the housing crisis, and preparing municipalities for the climate crisis. Or it can once again double down on projects designed primarily to enrich a handful of oil companies. We've seen this movie before, in 2018: it was the Trans Mountain pipeline, and it cost us $35 billion. The sequel is shaping up to be worse,” said Marc-André Viau, Director of Government Relations at Équiterre.

In exchange for a $35-billion pipeline paid for by taxpayers and the approval of fossil fuel development projects like Bay du Nord, the previous government had put in place some rules to govern the Trans Mountain pipeline’s development and limit its impacts on health and the environment. The current federal government is offering nothing in return for this new pipeline project. Just an open bar for the fossil fuel industry.

In the midst of a deadly heat wave sweeping the planet, the Prime Minister has dropped the climate targets that his new policies make impossible to achieve. He is at least being honest with Canadians about that, but we will all pay the price for it.

^{Équiterre's offices are located on Indigenous lands that have not been ceded by treaty, which we now call Montreal and Quebec City. We recognize that Indigenous peoples have protected their territories since immemorial times and have used their traditional knowledge to guard the lands and waters. We are grateful to live on these lands and are committed to continuing our efforts to protect them. Read more »}