CALGARY — Canada’s natural resources minister said he remains hopeful that aboriginal leaders will eventually come to support the controversial Northern Gateway pipeline from Alberta to northwestern B.C.
Joe Oliver said the government believes the oilsands will generate $3.3 trillion in economic activity over the next 25 years and hundreds of billions of dollars that governments can use to support social programs such as housing, education and pensions.
Oliver said he had the opportunity to discuss the project with aboriginal leaders at the First Nations summit in Ottawa, including a number of chiefs from British Columbia.
“It’s always been my hope and continues to be that this pipeline would address issues that will create economic activity that will be beneficial,” said Oliver speaking to reporters following an announcement in Calgary.
“We believe the aboriginal communities and First Nations can benefit in a transformative way from some of these developments. There’s money on the table, there’s equity participation and there’s jobs so it’s our hope to continue to have a dialogue with the first nations and see whether we together can achieve our objectives.
“We have a moral and constitutional obligation to consult and accommodate and we of course will do that.”
Enbridge (TSX:ENB) wants to build a 1,170-kilometre twin pipeline that would carry oilsands bitumen from Alberta to Kitimat in northwest B.C., where huge tanker ships would transport it to Asia.
The Alberta and federal governments have said the pipeline is crucial to building new markets for the country’s resources, especially in Asia.
Chinese state-owned enterprises have invested $5 billion in Canada’s resource sector.
But without a pipeline to the coast, there’s no easy way for large shipments of oil to reach China.
Public hearings into the proposed $5.5-billion pipeline got underway in Alberta this past week. More than 4,000 individuals have signed up to speak about the project in hearings across Alberta and B.C. over the next 18 months.
Environmental, aboriginal and social action groups say the risks of a pipeline rupture or oil tanker spill are too great. Not only would the pipeline cross mountain ranges, rivers and streams, it would fill more than 200 tankers a year that would have to navigate the treacherous waters of the Douglas Channel before reaching open sea.
Oliver repeated his pledge that the government won’t be getting involved in the hearings.
“We’re not talking about intervening. We’re letting the process proceed on an independent basis.”