Two federal government insiders with knowledge of the situation said there was little doubt Ottawa would give the green light.
“I am expecting an approval. Anything else would pose serious questions about what we are doing on the energy file,” said one of the sources, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation.
A senior Alberta government source also said approval was expected. “It’s the least this government can do to approve this pipeline,” said the source.
However, a senior federal government source insisted no decision had yet been taken and noted Ottawa had the power to push back the announcement.
The office of the Prime Minister declined to comment.
The cabinet will need to consider whether the project has done enough to win over aboriginal support. An original expansion plan approved by the Liberals in 2016 was overturned by a court which ruled the government had not adequately consulted indigenous groups. Ottawa says it has ramped up talks with aboriginal communities.
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers has forecast total investment in Canada’s oil and natural gas industry will fall by about 10% to C$37 billion in 2019 from 2018, underscoring how Canada has struggled to recover from the 2014/15 global oil price crash.
But even if it is approved, construction may not start any time soon, given the resistance by environmental and aboriginal groups.
And an approval would do little to revive Liberal fortunes in Alberta, where the party looks set to lose all three of its parliamentary seats in October’s vote.
At the same time, it could also enrage voters in British Columbia, where there are greater concerns about the potential impact of expansion and where the Liberals have 17 legislators.
which is 17 too many
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-energy-pipeline/canada-set-to-approve-hotly-debated-pipeline-expansion-trudeau-unlikely-to-benefit-idUSKCN1TH0IB