Build new pipelines entirely within Canada

“The politics are (that) something needs to get built in Western Canada. I think Manitoba will show itself as a path to getting natural resources to tidewater in Canada” — Premier Wab Kinew, June 2025

As the war continues in the Middle East, most Canadians should appreciate the urgent need for new pipelines. Albertans are understandably frustrated after a decade of policies that have blocked oil and gas access to world markets. Even Kinew was somewhat reluctant to support an east-west pipeline. As an outside observer, I can empathize.

U.S. President Donald Trump recently signed an agreement to use some of the old Keystone pipeline in Canada and build a new pipeline to a hub in Wyoming. This would increase Canada’s crude exports by 20 per cent.

While it may appear to be good news, Alberta would continue selling its oil to the U.S. at discount prices. Moreover, Trump or his successor could in future terminate this agreement.

Canada is the world’s fourth-largest producer and exporter of crude oil and its fifth largest natural gas producer. Yet over 90 per cent of our oil and nearly 100 per cent of our natural gas are exported to the United States at a major discount. This has cost the Canadian economy about $25.6 billion annually.

Global demand for oil should rise until 2050 and for natural gas may grow by 30 per cent by 2050. Coal is the world’s largest source of electricity — providing about a third of global power.

Despite developing solar panels to sell worldwide, ironically China is still approving two new coal plants per week and has built six times as many of these as the rest of the world.

Oil and especially natural gas are less polluting than coal. Pipelines are safer than rail transport, as underscored by the 2023 Lac Megantic rail disaster.

Besides Asia, we have other potential markets. The EU will be phasing out Russian LNG imports by late December 2026. Norway had been the supplier of 33 per cent of EU gas imports, but with declining reserves, this will drop by nearly half by 2035.

British Columbia Premier David Eby and a few coastal First Nations have been blocking a new pipeline to the B.C. coast. Yet even in November 2025, an Angus Reid poll found that 53 per cent of B.C. residents supported a new pipeline to the Northern B.C. coast and 37 per cent were opposed. The B.C. Conservative Party is in favour of such a pipeline and is now 10 points ahead of the NDP. Public support for pipelines may also surge due to the rapidly rising cost of gasoline in B.C. — the highest among provinces.

Public opinion is also shifting in Quebec. In February 2025, a poll by La Presse found that 59 per cent of Quebecers supported a revival of Energy East. New Premier Christine Frechette is now willing to reopen the debate on energy projects and is receptive to a new pipeline. She states that now is an opportune time to review energy self-sufficiency.

Of note is that New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt is endorsing a natural gas pipeline to run from Quebec City into New Brunswick. There would be refurbishment of the existing LNG import terminal in Saint John so as to export LNG to Europe.

Trump has promoted drilling for “beautiful, clean coal” on federal land, prevented the closure of coal-fired electrical plants, halted permits for wind projects, frozen funding for rooftop solar projects and stopped funding for EV charging stations.

Canada accounts for only 1.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, crippling of the oil and gas industry of Alberta and therefore the economy of Canada will have no beneficial global effect considering the extreme ongoing pollution of the United States, China and several other countries.

Instead, export of our oil and gas to as many countries as possible should help to reduce total world pollution by replacing their use of coal. These actions would help Alberta, strengthen the entire Canadian economy and hopefully reduce the desire of a few residents of Alberta and Quebec to separate from Canada.

We should rapidly use Canadian steel to build multiple pipelines but entirely within our borders. As well as a new pipeline to the Pacific, we should build one to Churchill and one north of Lake Superior to Sarnia (as proposed by Premier Doug Ford) and ultimately to Saint John, N.B..

Retired Ottawa physician Dr. Charles S. Shaver was born in Montreal. He was Chair of the Section on General Internal Medicine of the Ontario Medical Association. The views presented here are his own.