A pipeline. An impasse.
Canadians are told that a new bitumen pipeline from Alberta to the northwest coast of B.C. could bring national unity and prosperity. We asked two Christian MPs if they agree.
“That pipeline has to happen for our country.” Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston delivered this statement during a CBC interview on January 28. Houston said that a bitumen pipeline from Alberta to the north coast of B.C. is key to national unity. He was commenting on a memorandum of understanding signed between the government of Alberta and the federal government in November, which promises that the proposed pipeline will be Indigenous-owned and held to the highest marine safety and environmental standards.
Arnold Viersen, Conservative member of Parliament (MP) for Peace River-Westlock in Alberta, is also in favour of the pipeline. He told Christian Courier (CC): “At a time when regional divides are deepening, and we face new and ever-changing threats to our economy from the U.S., it is more important than ever to unite as Canadians and create a prosperous and self-reliant country with powerful paycheques for all. A pipeline from Alberta will enable this.”
A poll published by Leger, a Canadian market research firm, in December confirmed that half of Canadians agree with Houston and Viersen, and only 17 percent are opposed.
Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands and leader of the Green Party of Canada, is one of the 17 percent. She told CC that her main concern regarding a bitumen pipeline from Alberta to the north coast of B.C. is that “it’s banking on a continued demand for a product that’s going to fall in demand.” Investing in non-renewable energy while global investors shift to solar, wind, geothermal and hydro isn’t smart. But, she cautioned, “If you want to ship this tar, you want to ship it safely.”
The facts on bitumen
To ship safely, Canadians need a better understanding of the differences between bitumen, solid bitumen, diluted bitumen, crude oil and refined oil, says May. Most of what is pumped through pipelines originating in Alberta’s oil sands is bitumen that’s been diluted with a lighter petroleum product to help it flow. When the diluted bitumen mixes with water, it separates, making cleanup very difficult (as was discovered during the 2010 Kalamazoo River spill). It can’t be contained as refined oil spills are, with booms on the water’s surface. To make matters worse, unlike the Kalamazoo, the ocean water off the north west coast of B.C. is turbulent and difficult to access. That’s why large oil tankers have been banned since 1985, first under a voluntary agreement, then under federal law in 2019.
May says there are safer ways to move bitumen than diluting it for pipeline and tanker transport. In 2019, BitCrude, based in Calgary, Alberta, developed a process to package and ship Alberta’s oil in a semi-solid state by rail.
“It doesn’t spill,” explains May, describing what would happen in the case of a BitCrude train derailment. “It can’t go anywhere. Can’t hurt the salmon going by it. It’s just a solid lump of tar.” It’s also not very flammable, unlike the Bakken shale oil that was involved in the Lac-Mégantic disaster.
In a 2019 Calgary Herald op-ed, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, working as a journalist at the time, made the same pitch as May.
“Without diluent, the product is 100 percent fuel and less costly to transport,” wrote Smith, “It will require less energy to produce, transport and refine, so it will mean fewer greenhouse gases. There are no First Nations access issues because it uses an established railway right of way. It doesn’t need [National Energy Board] NEB approval because it’s not going in a pipeline. It is not subject to Trudeau’s tanker ban because it is a solid.”
The Alberta government even leased more than 40,000 train cars in 2019 to ship crude oil. So what changed? To find out, CC asked Viersen, MP of Peace River-Westlock, to explain. He says it comes down to cost.
“Pipelines are more practical and effective for getting [Albertan] resources to market,” says Viersen.
The oil rollercoaster
When oil prices are low, Alberta is in a vulnerable position. With no sales tax and low income taxes, the provincial government depends on oil revenue to fund health care, education and other provincial programs. Alberta’s finance minister says the province needs oil prices to average $74 per barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) to keep a balanced budget. Right now, WTI is about $65 per barrel.
According to Tegan Hill, a director at the Fraser Institute, every one-dollar dip in the price of oil reduces Alberta’s provincial revenues by about 750 million dollars. Recognizing the volatility of resource-based revenues, Hill and her colleague Milagros Palacios recommended in a 2023 research bulletin that the government of Alberta limit their spending, even when oil prices are high, and save the surplus for when the markets inevitably dip again.
Meanwhile, Viersen says Albertans feel underappreciated by the rest of Canada. “I get asked all the time, ‘Why does the rest of the country hate us?’” says Viersen. “I think it’s time for the rest of the country to consider why the average Albertan asks this question. The entire separation discussion stems from this sentiment.” The Buffalo Declaration, signed by Viersen and three other Alberta MPs, states: “Canada functionally treats Alberta as a colony rather than an equal partner.”
Although May is adamantly against the pipeline, she has empathy for Alberta’s situation: “Trump is trying to flood the market, and so is OPEC [Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries]. So they’re driving down the price of a barrel of oil. And the effect of that is to bankrupt Alberta.” May says taking U.S. threats seriously could mean establishing strategic reserves of Canadian resources and selling bonds, like in wartime. She’s also in favour of increased interprovincial trade. She hopes Canadians will weigh all of the economic options.
“If we do keep lying to people and saying that this [pipeline] is going to protect us from Trump, and it doesn’t, and we have more economic downturns, more people laid off, and at the same time we’ve failed to protect ourselves from the climate crisis events which are accelerating? It’s a compounded lie that at every turn is a betrayal of the public good,” says May.
Creation care
CC asked May and Viersen, both committed Christians, to share how their faith helps them navigate the tension between economic prosperity and creation care.
“Alberta’s crude oil and natural gas reserves are no less a blessing from God to Alberta and Canada,” replied Viersen, comparing oil to the iron and copper mentioned in Deuteronomy 8:9. “Consider all the ways that oil products make our lives better, be it the use of plastics in healthcare to elevate human dignity, or the preservation of food, or the ability for us to heat our homes in the cold winters efficiently with natural gas. As Christians, we also need to be mindful of how we care for and conserve God’s creation. Resources and people should not be exploited, and I am grateful for the significant progress we have made to develop our natural resources much more cleanly.”
“If people of faith speak up, it’s very helpful,” says May. “We have an obligation to protect sacred creation.” She mentioned Father Thomas Berry’s creation theology and applauded initiatives of ecumenical movements, such as the Give it up for the Earth Campaign organized by Citizens for Public Justice, that promote creation care practices during Lent. “In terms of a climate crisis, we are literally threatening the survival of species, including our own, out of a habitable planet, which is an unimaginable crime.”
Is the pipeline a good idea? Will it happen? Viersen and May represent Canadians on either end of this issue, and it is hard to see the common ground between them. But it is worth noting that in December 2025, Arnold Viersen was presented with the “Most Collaborative MP award.” In a press release, he stated: “Whether they are Liberal, NDP, Bloc or Green Party leader Elizabeth May, there are some values and issues that can unite us as Canadians to make our country stronger and safer.” As for May, she is known for referring to MPs from other parties as “friends” and says that collaboration is in the DNA of the Greens. The path forward is not yet clear, but with Christians like Viersen and May in the House of Commons, perhaps there is hope.
‘We remain steadfast’
CC reached out to Coastal First Nation for a comment, but wasn’t able to get one before presstime. After meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney about the proposed pipeline, the alliance of eight coastal nations stated: “As the rights and title holders of the Central and North Coast and Haida Gwaii, we remain steadfast in our position that oil tankers will never be part of our vision for a healthy, productive and sustainable North Coast [. . .] Our Nations understand the economic challenges Canada is facing which is why we are ready to help facilitate major projects that are built in partnership with Indigenous peoples, protect the environment and will benefit all British Columbians. Our track record shows that when we work together, we can build forward-looking, innovative, and durable economic partnerships that benefit all Canadians.”
