Friday November 21, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 1:22 pm | Updated 1:42 pm]
Editorial by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Keeping one premier out of the loop of a significant discussion over national major projects — when the target location is on the home turf of that premier is, well, just simply unskilfful.
Carney’s exclusion of BC Premier David Eby — intentional or otherwise — from what are being essentially referred to as ‘preliminary’ discussions shows either that the Liberal prime minister is too busy, doesn’t care, misses the political point of inclusion (despite his ‘one strong Canada’ mantra), or is following bad advice from inside caucus or more like from inside senior government where the details of any discussion would be prepared.
The talks so far have centered on Alberta and Saskatchewan, with the premiers of those two provinces taking part: Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe.
Pundit politicking:
Michele Cadario, Executive VP, Rubicon Strategy Inc delivered a comment on CBC’s Power and Politics yesterday, saying that Eby was essentially not welcome in welcome or suitable in discussions on the northwest pipeline proposed idea that Alberta is obviously still gunning for.
“When the premier is out there being very defined in terms of what his position is and what his position’s going to be, and how it is — and without showing any kind of room for a discussion – i’m not sure that is a great person to actually invite to the table right away — I don’t see that being constructive,” said pundit Cadario yesterday. “I think that’s why his invitation’s got lost in the mail for a little bit,” said Cadario who describes her firm as a leading government relations firm advising market leaders in verticals across Canada.
On CBC she was implying that the BC Premier’s straight-shooter statements in protection of the tanker ban and his province’s economy more broadly are inappropriate in what Carney is clearly seeing as a business discussion. Buried within that comment is an old-school attitude about acceptability of who belongs in politics.
Just two months ago Cadario became listed with the federal government as a registered government lobbyist (Saskatchewan-based) for consulting in policy development and financial support related to critical mineral exploration, extraction, processing, and recycling projects and activities. She is a former Liberal campaign director.
Business and politics — a tricky mix:
The whole thing has a tone of having chit-chat to plan a surprise party that the recipient won’t be happy about at all. The rank amateur approach and board-room style senior government desk-job approach to this strategy (if it can be called that) in this potential major project development to evidently appease Alberta (and Carney’s self-declared political home turf) is quite evident.
To hear Premier Eby say he figuratively that he ‘fell off his chair’ upon hearing Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe say yesterday that Saskatchewan had already been at the table with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the Premier’s team on discussion of an oil pipeline through northwest BC indicates how much British Columbia was excluded from having forumulative input into this plan.
Perhaps this is one reason that four of the first 11 major national projects (in the mining and LNG sectors) are located in BC — a political appeasement to Eby and British Columbia for what is (apparently) intended to come. In other words, some sweets before the hatchet comes down.
Premier Eby is clearly intense about his response to all this, as his NDP base would expect him to be. Billions of dollars in investment on the other four projects — as well as the investment of strategic political engagement with First Nations in the northwest BC region — could be significantly disrupted at this point or even lost at some future point as a result of this clunky intrusion by Alberta (with Saskatchewan along for the ride).
Red line:
Carney has — perhaps without realizing it (for riding his trade diversification horse and wearing his one strong Canada blinders) drawn what could be a significant red line in the sand with BC.
He has certainly now lost some amount of goodwill from Eby at the leadership level.
And if its true that British Columbians hold environmental concerns (particularly the pristine Pacific west coast) in high regard, the Liberal prime minister will of course have to realize that he needs the backing of his 20 BC Liberal MPs now (about 12% of his caucus) and for their electability in the next federal election.
Looking ahead:
Will it be ‘business as usual’ for Carney as his rolls out more national major projects and in particular the northwest pipeline that current news seems to imply is well underway on Carney’s list of promises?
Or will this political misfire be enough of a wake-up call to get Premier Eby into northwest pipeline discussions immediately instead of when it suits Alberta and Saskatchewan and whoever has been driving this from the federal government side?
If Eby is welcomed to the table it becomes a political debate — one of protecting the environment sanctity of a key natural region of BC (and the allegiance of environmental protection supporters including Indigenous interests).
It seems clear that Carney wanted the development of a northwest oil pipeline to be ‘business only’. But that is clearly not realistic and likely not possible.
Eocnomic leadership via the prime minister’s office:
If people were waiting for that first big crack in the notable point that Prime Minister Mark Carney has come to the country’s top job without any elected political experience, this may be it.
Carney still seems to have wind in his sails for steering Canada in new directions that are probably much larger and more difficult than most people realize.
Even without knowing all the details and how things are done in international global ways, most Canadians have a gut instinct that times are not only different they are tough. And probably getting more challenging as Carney rather awkwardly floated in his speech to Carleton University students in October that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called ‘the sacrifice speech’.
But in the hard realities of politics, Carney is in the top political job. Walking straight into a misstep such as not having BC at the table when the key impact for a project is almost entirely within BC is a shockingly stark reminder that the prime minister needs to keep his prime minister’s hat on at all times … not set it to the side of his desk when doing what most people would agree is what he does best and that is economic strategy.
Perhaps Carney feels he is doing plenty for BC by shifting to including forestry in the list of sectors which he is attentive in trade talks and sector job supports, as well as the four major projects (of 11 so far) that have landed on the formal list of projects to be expedited.
But indirectly already challenging the tanker ban as part of bringing oil to the northwest coast of BC throws a big wrench into BC Premier Eby’s political agenda. Not a small thing in terms of political work. But perhaps more importantly creating problems of a greater magnitude for positioning BC as the upcoming engine of the Canadian economy.
Carney has bruised BC’s feelings and potentially has pulled a thread that could unwind political goodwill built over many years within northern BC regions. Carney could stave off further damage by dropping the northwest pipeline project altogether or at the very least include BC into the loop in short order.
Environmental component:
BC’s coastal waters and rainforest are not just a ‘nice to have’ in Canada’s landscape. They are uniquely pristine treasures of the Canadian landscape and the planet’s ecosystem.
Canada needs economic growth and trade diversification but not with the knowledge that a precious treasure of coastal waters and forested land (including old growth forests) could be openly damaged.
This unique ecosystem has been preserved for thousands of years by people who intrinsically recognized its value. The land, the coastal waters and the trust that BC has built to continue protecting it must not be trampled on.
===== RELATED:
- Look West economic growth plan launched in BC (November 17, 2025)
- Carney’s second set of nation-building major projects (November 14, 2025)
- US trying to shut out forest sector says Carney during Buy Canadian announcement (November 10, 2025)
- NEWS SECTIONS: 45th PARLIAMENT of CANADA | EDITORIALS | CANADA-NATIONAL | CANADA-USA | BUDGET 2025 | BC’s 43rd PARLIAMENT | NATIONAL MAJOR PROJECTS
===== ABOUT THE WRITER:
Mary P Brooke is the Editor of Island Social Trends, a news publication posting daily news analysis at IslandSocialTrends.ca since 2020.
Based on Vancouver Island, the Island Social Trends serves an attentive audience of leaders in business, government at all levels, politics, education, health and community.
Ms Brooke follows BC news along with the BC Legislative Press Gallery.