OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Trans Mountain pipeline is in Canada’s “vital, strategic interest” and has instructed Finance Minister Bill Morneau to negotiate with Kinder Morgan to provide federal financial backing to ensure it goes ahead.“It will be built,” Trudeau told reporters Sunday, vowing that construction on the project would be underway this summer.Following a morning meeting with B.C. Premier John Horgan and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, which failed to break the political standoff that has put the $7.4 billion project in limbo, Trudeau announced that Ottawa would be taking financial and legislative measures to get the pipeline built.With the two provinces at an impasse, he said Ottawa would invoke its authority to resolve the dispute.He said the federal measures include some type of financial assistance for the project to reduce the economic risk for Kinder Morgan, a factor cited by the Texas-based energy giant a week ago when it put the project on ice.Trudeau revealed that discussions with the company around that assistance are already underway in Calgary, Toronto and New York City. Asked about the potential risk to taxpayers, the prime minister said the government would weigh that in deciding the extent of its support.As well, Trudeau said that Ottawa would soon be unveiling legislation to assert that the federal government has clear jurisdiction over the project that crosses provincial boundaries.He laid out the arguments behind his government’s strong backing of the project, saying it means good-paying jobs for Canadians and would help diversify markets for Canada’s energy resources. He said those resources are “massively discounted” because Canada is captive to the American market.Trudeau convened a high-profile meeting with Notley and Horgan on Parliament Hill in hopes of breaking the political deadlock that has stalled construction of the project.The three leaders hudd ...
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