Prince Rupert mayor sides with Eby over Smith on Northern Gateway pipeline reboot
OTTAWA — The mayor of northern British Columbia's busiest port city says he's following Premier David Eby's lead in taking a wait-and-see approach to rebooting the cancelled Northern Gateway Pipeline project.
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Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond told the National Post on Friday that he's reserving judgment until he sees a new proposal on the table.
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'I'm a little bit (more) with Premier Eby… Until there's a project and a proponent, we're not going to spend much time on it,' said Pond.
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'It's so hard to have a discussion about an imaginary project.'
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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has pushed heavily for a revival of the shelved pipeline, which would have shipped up to 525,000 barrels of Alberta oil per day through nearby Kitimat, B.C., and ultimately to markets in the Asia-Pacific region via tanker.
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Smith has said that the revamped North Coast pipeline should end at the Port of Prince Rupert, citing its close proximity to potential buyers in markets like Japan and South Korea.
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She's also said that shipping Alberta oil through northern B.C. is one of the best things Canada can do to reduce its economic dependency on top trading partner the United States.
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But Eby says that Smith is getting ahead of herself with no entity, public or private, coming forward to lead the project.
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'There's no proponent, there's no money, there's no project right now,' Eby said this week during a trade visit Seoul, South Korea.
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Pond says he agrees with Smith that Prince Rupert is the most logical destination for a new pipeline carrying Alberta oil to the Pacific Ocean.
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'If (technical dimensions) were the only thing you were scoring it on… Rupert would score the highest,' said Pond.
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'Prince Rupert is a very deep natural harbour, doesn't need to be dredged (and) we're not moving through a congested traffic area (like) Vancouver.'
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But he added that a new oil pipeline wouldn't make or break Prince Rupert economically, and may not be worth the risk of an oil spill in the sensitive marine ecosystem.
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National Post
11 hours ago
- National Post
Letters: Mark Carney 'on wrong side of history' with Palestine declaration
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Readers fume over the PM's Palestine statement, have more to say about the hockey trial, and wish for less news about Justin Trudeau Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand listens as Prime Minister Mark Carney announces that Canada will recognize a State of Palestine in September, providing the Palestinian Authority makes significant reforms and holds an election in 2026. Photo by Dave Chan / AFP THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Prime Minister Mark Carney's recognizing a Palestinian state has nothing to do with supporting the people of Gaza. It has everything to do with destroying Canada's relationship with Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East and a long-time ally. His overriding bias against Israel seems to determine all his decisions regarding the war initiated by Hamas. Carney claiming that he will recognize a Palestinian state is simply shameful posturing for political gain. It is a gesture without real meaning since there has been no discussion re borders or leadership or governance. Without any structure in place, what is there to recognize? This newsletter tackles hot topics with boldness, verve and wit. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays) By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again Carney may think the world will view his posturing in front of the UN as a demonstration of strong leadership. He is mistaken. To abandon an ally that is fighting the threat of total destruction is not leadership, it is cowardice. To ignore the horrors perpetuated by Hamas and its followers is unforgivable. To blame all the suffering in Gaza on Israel is immoral and irresponsible. Future Canadians will judge Carney as being 'on the wrong side of history.' Mark Carney and his illiberal liberal government are displaying an appalling lack of understanding of history in their rush to recognize Palestinian statehood, and in so doing are destroying the values that have served Canada well throughout much of our history. 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In his column, Andrew Richter points out that approximately 10,000 dairy farmers with relatively high incomes are the sole beneficiaries of dairy supply management at significant cost to all Canadian families of about $600 per year — which hits disadvantaged families the hardest. This bizarre pampering of a farming elite concentrated in Quebec and Ontario seems like wilful ignorance. Leftist voters suddenly prioritize wealthy dairy farmers over those with much lower incomes? Conservative voters suddenly find government control of an essential foodstuff, which hikes prices, a good thing? 'Elbows up' Canadians show hypocrisy and shortsightedness bewailing threatened tariffs while supporting barring competition from America and Europe that would lower dairy prices for consumers (and maybe get us less waxy butter). Indeed, our supply management for dairy is a heavy anchor presently hampering Canada's negotiators for fair trade agreements. 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Example: the difficulty in contacting Canada Revenue Agency representatives by phone. One encounters full phone queues ('hang up and call again') or, if lucky enough to get in the queue, there is a long wait. Accountants report that contacting CRA is frustrating and greatly reduces their productivity. It's a national disgrace. Don Graham, Chemainus, B.C. Re: 'Mass immigration simply unsustainable' — Letters to the editor, July 27 Do we have a shortage of old people in Canada? Is that why the Liberals are trying to bring in 10,000 parents and grandparents of new Canadians into this country? Do we have a surplus of unused, under-utilized medical services or seniors' facilities that are sitting empty, to justify importing thousands of old people, who are likely never going to contribute in any meaningful way to the tax base, but whom that tax base will have to pay for? Can someone explain the logic here? Damian Kanarek, Whitby, Ont. National Post and Financial Post welcome letters to the editor (250 words or fewer). Please include your name, address and daytime phone number. Email letters@ Letters may be edited for length or clarity.
Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- Vancouver Sun
'You may not have the best hand': Former U.S. ambassador on Canada negotiating with Trump
Canada's view of its southern neighbour has understandably dimmed after President Donald Trump launched a tariff war. With Trump declaring more tariffs against Canada effective Friday , National Post spoke this week with former ambassador David Cohen, former president Joe Biden's envoy to Ottawa from 2021 to 2025, who was tasked with resetting U.S.-Canada relations following the first tumultuous Trump term, which included its own tariff actions against Canadian goods. Much of Cohen's work involved navigating a landscape where bilateral co-operation could no longer be taken for granted and where he had to rebuild an alliance strained by trade disputes and fiery rhetoric. He's since returned to private life but still gives talks boosting the U.S.-Canada relationship. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. (This interview has been edited and condensed due to length.) Q: What were your proudest achievements as ambassador? A: 'I think the most important achievement was all of Mission Canada,' said Cohen. 'I set as a priority to rebuild, strengthen, and nurture the U.S.-Canada relationship, and I think we were largely successful in accomplishing that objective.' Cohen also noted helping to shift Canada's defence spending debate away from an almost exclusive focus on GDP percentages by arguing that commitments must be tied to existing security threats. The public view often was, 'Why does Canada have to spend money on defence? We're surrounded by oceans on three sides, and by the United States on the fourth side.' But, Cohen said, 'that wasn't and isn't true. There are legitimate security threats, and Canada has a special responsibility and should have a special focus on continental defence.' He noted that under prime ministers Justin Trudeau and Mark Carney, the defence discussion has lately become centred on continental defence and the Arctic, which resonates more with Canadians. In fact, in December 2024, for the first time in over a decade, a majority of Canadians supported more defence spending, according to polling by the Angus Reid Institute . This, said Cohen, 'contributed to the additional defence spending that has occurred – and made it easier for (Trudeau and Carney) to make commitments about increasing the amount of investment that Canada would make toward defence, ultimately being able to sign off on the new five per cent threshold that was agreed to this year.' Q: How well do you think Carney's team has been doing amid the trade war and negotiations? A: 'Prime Minister Carney and Canada are doing about as good a job as they can do in very difficult negotiations that are not always rationality-based … President Trump has not been all that crystal clear at times about exactly what it is he wants to accomplish and the underlying reasons for his positioning,' he said. Cohen pointed to the White House's original 25 per cent tariff announcement and how it was premised largely on border and fentanyl issues, even though he said fentanyl imports from Canada were a very small part of the U.S. problem, especially compared to Mexico. He questioned the rationale for raising tariffs on Canadian goods from 25 to 35 per cent, given the tiny and shrinking amount of fentanyl coming from Canada. But Cohen also pointed out that 'Canada sometimes seems to overvalue its leverage, without fully recognizing the huge asymmetry in our almost trillion-dollar trade relationship. Three-quarters of Canada's exports go to the U.S., but only 17 per cent of U.S. exports go to Canada. Sometimes that gives Canada an overinflated view of (Canada's) leverage in negotiations.' Q: Do you think a new U.S.-Canada trade and security deal is coming? A: Cohen noted that Republican voices, such as Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, are publicly starting to highlight the critical importance of the U.S.-Canada trade relationship and expressing confidence that an agreement will eventually come. Cohen agreed, saying he believes a deal is coming – he's just not sure when. On Canada's path to securing the best deal, Cohen stressed that delivering concrete defence results matters far more than mere promises. 'Carney has said all the right things. What he now needs to do is to deliver – that is, money actually has to be budgeted and then it has to be spent.' He also noted that the Golden Dome initiative , a spending priority for the U.S., could help Canada reach pledged defence targets. 'Actually putting concrete actions behind the commitments is something that Prime Minister Carney can do.' Cohen also noted that Canada's supply management issues, particularly with dairy, remain politically sensitive. 'There are a whole series and host of issues that are outstanding between the United States and Canada,' he added, 'and I think bringing any of them to the table with potential solutions that would be attractive to President Trump is a good strategy and a good tactic.' Q: Do you expect the current trade talks to bleed into the required review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement this coming year? Do you think Trump is looking to rip that up? A: 'I think it's inevitable these negotiations will bleed into the statutorily required review of USMCA,' Cohen said. And while the deal is a legacy of Trump's former U.S. trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, 'I think there's a part of Donald Trump that views it as a Donald Trump legacy too, since he was personally at the table and personally involved in closing the ultimate deal in 2018.' While Cohen doesn't think Trump is interested in ripping up the agreement, he acknowledged that there 'may need to be adjustments to it or revisiting of issues that Canada resisted during the original negotiation.' 'I think it's almost inevitable that there will be certain elements of USMCA that will end up needing to be renegotiated as part of the review process.' But he expects it to survive because 'it has been such a good deal for both sides.' Q: Has there been long-term damage to the U.S.-Canada relationship from the last few months of trade tension, or is a reset feasible? A: Cohen noted the trust quotient between the U.S. and Canada plummeted from about 58 per cent during the Obama era to around 10 per cent in Trump's first term, before climbing back to the mid-50 per cent range under Biden. Today it's at 16 per cent. 'That history says it'll take work, it'll take effort from the United States perspective – we'll be dealing with a skeptical Canadian audience,' he said. 'But the U.S. market is too attractive (to not repair the relationship). The Canadian market is historically too much of an integral partner within that market.' 'With a different government and a different approach, I think businesses on both sides of the border will probably be more ready to come back to the table and to engage in rebuilding the relationship. I think it's going to take more to convince the Canadian public that the United States really does care about Canada, although I think that is achievable.' Q: Can friction between the U.S. and Canada be a good thing? Can tariffs? A: 'I think civil friction is healthy because it respects the sovereignty of our allies and often ends up improving the United States' decision-making,' Cohen said. 'But I don't think just because the United States is the largest economy on earth, has 10 times the population, a much higher GDP, and just because we dominate the trade relationship, means that everything we say Canada should agree to just because we say it.' On tariffs, Cohen said he is mostly a free-trade supporter and believes governments should get out of the way of businesses, the true drivers of economies. 'I think tariffs are really dangerous tools to use because I think they can interfere with the natural work of businesses in growing economies — that is what businesses do better than governments.' But Cohen also noted that targeted use of tariffs can be appropriate. He cited the example of softwood lumber tariffs, used by both Trump and Biden . 'It is just about indisputable that Canada, through its governmental policies by the federal government and by multiple provincial governments, unfairly favours Canadian lumber producers, creates preferential treatment for Canadian lumber producers, and discriminates against U.S. lumber producers.' 'As a result, U.S. lumber producers are disadvantaged vis-à-vis Canadian lumber producers, and the mechanism for levelling that playing field is the countervailing softwood lumber tariffs.' Cohen also said tariffs can be helpful as leverage to negotiate things like boosted defence spending for NATO. 'I think that's a good thing,' he said. But he also criticized Trump's across-the-board high tariffs, like the 25 per cent tariff on potash, an essential farming input that's scarce in the U.S., as making no sense. Q: How is your successor, Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, doing in his job? A: 'I think he's in a very difficult position because (he's not a free agent but a personal representative of President Trump, but …) he's from a border state and has a longstanding understanding of the U.S.-Canada relationship and its importance from his Michigan roots,' Cohen said, noting how the former representative for Michigan's 2nd congressional district has gone out of his way to repeatedly talk about the importance of the Canada-U.S. relationship. 'I think he's doing the best job he can to continue to send a message about the value that he personally and that the country puts on the U.S.-Canada relationship.' Q: Any final advice for Canadians about their relationship with the U.S.? A: 'There's almost an inferiority complex in Canada — lines like 'we're the stepchild' or 'not big enough to matter' — I always hated that,' he said, noting how Canada undervalues its importance as a friend, partner, and ally. 'There are things Canada can do that the United States cannot, because internationally, (the U.S.) is the 800-pound gorilla. Canada, though, gets to be in conversations in the global south where it can express views about promoting democracy and democratic values that, if promoted by the U.S., would fall on deaf ears. Canada can open the door and help achieve America's No. 1 foreign policy goal, which is the promotion of democracy and democratic values around the world. ' Canada should never also never undervalue the role it has played in its actions, Cohen said. 'When the United States went into Afghanistan, Canada was the first country to join us. Americans should never forget what Canada did in the (Canadian) Caper, getting our last diplomats out of Iran safely (after the 1979 revolution) , at great danger to the individual Canadian diplomats and to Canada on the international stage. 'On the one hand, be proud and recognize how incredibly important you are to this relationship … On the other hand, recognize that in tough negotiations, you may not have the best hand because of the asymmetry of the financial nature of the relationship.' 'That tension is one of the most interesting aspects of dealing with Canada.' National Post tmoran@ Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here .
Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Calgary Herald
'You may not have the best hand': Former U.S. ambassador on Canada negotiating with Trump
Article content Canada's view of its southern neighbour has understandably dimmed after President Donald Trump launched a tariff war. With Trump declaring more tariffs against Canada effective Friday, National Post spoke this week with former ambassador David Cohen, former president Joe Biden's envoy to Ottawa from 2021 to 2025, who was tasked with resetting U.S.-Canada relations following the first tumultuous Trump term, which included its own tariff actions against Canadian goods. Article content Article content Article content A: 'I think the most important achievement was all of Mission Canada,' said Cohen. 'I set as a priority to rebuild, strengthen, and nurture the U.S.-Canada relationship, and I think we were largely successful in accomplishing that objective.' Article content Cohen also noted helping to shift Canada's defence spending debate away from an almost exclusive focus on GDP percentages by arguing that commitments must be tied to existing security threats. Article content Article content The public view often was, 'Why does Canada have to spend money on defence? We're surrounded by oceans on three sides, and by the United States on the fourth side.' Article content Article content But, Cohen said, 'that wasn't and isn't true. There are legitimate security threats, and Canada has a special responsibility and should have a special focus on continental defence.' He noted that under prime ministers Justin Trudeau and Mark Carney, the defence discussion has lately become centred on continental defence and the Arctic, which resonates more with Canadians. Article content In fact, in December 2024, for the first time in over a decade, a majority of Canadians supported more defence spending, according to polling by the Angus Reid Institute. This, said Cohen, 'contributed to the additional defence spending that has occurred – and made it easier for (Trudeau and Carney) to make commitments about increasing the amount of investment that Canada would make toward defence, ultimately being able to sign off on the new five per cent threshold that was agreed to this year.'
