Wherry: Carney-Smith agreement surely won’t make pipelines ‘boring again’

Aaron Wherry: But while removing the ability of anyone to seriously claim the federal government is a significant obstacle to a pipeline, Carney has not completely removed himself from the question of whether a pipeline gets built. The memorandum describes a new pipeline as a “priority” and pledges federal involvement in trilateral discussions involving the B.C. government and B.C. First Nations. 

Unless or until a private-sector proponent steps forward to say they would like to build a pipeline, such commitments might be moot. But what if a private proponent steps forward and discussions with the B.C. government and First Nations fail to produce broad acceptance for a pipeline?…