Submission on the Proposed Listing of the West Coast Oil Pipeline as a Project of National Interest

Introduction

The Business Council of British Columbia (BCBC) welcomes the opportunity to comment on whether the West Coast Oil Pipeline (WCOP) should be listed as a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act.

BCBC represents the largest and leading companies from across every major sector of British Columbia's economy. Our mission is to promote prosperity for current and future generations by advocating for policies that will improve the investment and productivity performance of the B.C. and Canadian economies.

The WCOP is a proposed interprovincial pipeline that would ship up to one million barrels per day of Canadian crude oil from Bruderheim, Alberta, to a new deepwater marine terminal near Delta, B.C., where it would be loaded onto very large crude carriers (VLCCs) for export to global markets, particularly the Asia-Pacific. It is being advanced by Trans Mountain Corporation, the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission, and Pembina Pipeline Corporation through a jointly owned entity.

BCBC supports designating the WCOP a project of national interest. The project would give Canada another route to global oil markets, reduce its dependence on a single customer, and make greater use of B.C.’s role as Canada’s Pacific gateway. Realizing this opportunity will depend on execution and on whether Canada can create the conditions needed to build the pipeline and supply it.