What are the parties’ current positions on TMX?

The Green Party

The Green Party made it clear in their 2019 election platform that they support canceling TMX and all other fossil fuel subsidies. But with all eyes on the Trans Mountain fight right now, we believe it would send a powerful message if Annamie Paul used her newly-acquired platform as Green Party leader to affirm her support for defunding TMX. And it’s up to us to hold her to it. That’s why it’s so important for her to hear from supporters like you.

The NDP

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s position has been a lot less clear. He’s on record as opposing the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, but he has not made defunding TMX a condition of his support for Trudeau’s minority government and he has not ruled out supporting other pipeline projects in the future. It’s time for the NDP to pick a side and issue a clear call for the Liberal government to defund TMX.

The Liberals

They. Bought. The. Pipeline. With our money. And they approved it the day after they declared a climate emergency. Using taxpayer dollars to expand fossil fuel infrastructure and subsidize the industries fuelling global warming shows that Justin Trudeau still doesn’t understand the existential threat that this crisis represents. It’s up to us to make sure he gets the message!

About Trans Mountain

The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is a new fossil fuel pipeline that would carry tar sands from Alberta to just outside of Vancouver, BC. Originally owned by Texas oil giant Kinder Morgan, the Government of Canada bailed the project out in 2018 when Kinder Morgan threatened to walk away, and we bought it for $5.4 billion.

Then, in early 2020, the Government released updated costs for the project. Now at nearly $13 billion and climbing, public support for the pipeline dropped as the public was told that we would need to foot this growing bill. This was all before COVID-19 hit, which no doubt has driven the cost of the project even higher.

Before Justin Trudeau bought the Trans Mountain pipeline, the project was such a bad bet that Texas oil giant Kinder Morgan walked away from the project. Here’s why:

• • Shaky Economics: Trans Mountain requires ongoing tar sands expansion to make sense, and that requires a high price of oil. Before the pandemic hit, and the price of oil collapsed, the economics for Trans Mountain didn’t make sense. They make even less sense now. Read More. 

• • Local Opposition: There has long been a large and loud opposition to Trans Mountain all along the route, where concerns of an oil spill are top of mind. The existing pipeline that this expansion is being built atop has – by the companies own reporting – leaked more than 80 times, as recently as June 2020. Read More.

• • Climate Change: The Trans Mountain pipeline will create millions of tonnes of carbon emissions, making it impossible for Canada to do it’s part in tackling the global climate crisis. Despite this, their own review of the project refused to consider the complete climate impact of the project. Thanks to all this, the pipeline faces opposition all across Canada, and the world. Read More. 

• • Indigenous Rights: Indigenous communities all along the Trans Mountain pipeline and tanker routes have raised major issues with the construction of the pipeline since it was first proposed. These groups have challenged the project in court, and on the land, with opposition continuing to grow. Read More. 

Why pull the plug on TMX now?

The math just doesn’t make sense. The climate math doesn’t add up, the economics don’t make sense and, if we’re going to build back better, we need to put every single dollar we can to projects that help all people and communities. The longer we wait to defund TMX, the worse it’s going to be.