By Paul Vieira
OTTAWA--Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he is encouraged by talks with the oil-rich province of Alberta about new energy projects such as a crude-carrying pipeline.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith had set a mid-November deadline for Carney's Liberal government to ditch a set of environmental rules -- implemented by Carney's predecessor, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau -- to encourage investment in the energy sector. Carney is pushing policies to position Canada as an energy superpower. Smith, in turn, is calling for Ottawa's backing to build a new pipeline to carry crude from Alberta's energy fields to the Pacific Coast, destined for Asia-bound tankers.
Carney said Thursday talks with Alberta are under way, and largely positive.
"There are still some issues to resolve, but there are friendly discussions proceeding at this time," Carney said at a press conference in British Columbia to unveil new infrastructure and resource projects that will enjoy financial and regulatory backing from Ottawa.
He added he is looking for a commitment from Alberta, and the energy companies based there, to make significant investments to produce lower-carbon energy.
A spokesman for Smith said Alberta and Ottawa are working on an agreement that overhauls existing environmental laws that both she and industry leaders have argued deter investment in Canada's commodities.
Among the rules are a cap on emissions from oil-and-gas producers, and a ban on oil-tanker traffic along the northern British Columbia coast.
In the annual budget plan released last week, Carney pledged to remove the oil-and-gas emissions cap under certain conditions, such as a wide-scale deployment of carbon-capture and storage capacity in the province.
Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
11-13-25 1615ET
