Canada Fast-Tracks Pacific Oil Pipeline Amid Alberta Separatist Tensions

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has fast-tracked a proposed oil pipeline, Pacific Link, to reduce Canada's dependence on the United States and mend relations with oil-rich Alberta. The move comes as separatists push for a referendum on leaving Canada.

The pipeline, capable of carrying one million barrels a day, would run from Bruderheim, Alberta, to a deep water port near Delta, in British Columbia. It's expected to cost between $25 billion and $31 billion, with significant questions remaining about its financing and whether producers will commit to using it.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has long complained that former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hindered the province's energy industry, fueling separatist sentiment. Carney said the pipeline demonstrated what Canada could achieve together, but Ian Brodie, a University of Calgary political science professor, noted that Alberta still relies heavily on Ottawa for its oil sector to grow.