Carney Fast-Tracks Pacific Pipeline Amid Alberta Separatist Tensions

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

The pipeline, now called Pacific Link, will have a capacity of one million barrels per day. Carney designated it a project of national interest under legislation enacted to accelerate major infrastructure projects.

Carney appeared with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in Fort McMurray, the heart of Canada's oil sands. The move is seen as an attempt to address concerns over energy independence and strengthen ties between Ottawa and Edmonton.