Liberals to vote against Poilievre's pipeline motion, calling it 'immature' and an 'insult'

The Liberal government will vote against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's motion Tuesday calling for a new oil pipeline to the Pacific — but ministers insisted it doesn't mean Ottawa has given up on the memorandum of understanding signed with Alberta last month.

Poilievre's motion, which lifts some of the language included in that agreement brokered between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, calls for MPs to back at least one pipeline that moves a million barrels of Alberta bitumen to the coast for export to Asia. 

The Conservatives brought forward this non-binding motion to show divisions in the Liberal caucus on the issue — a divide the party says puts the possibility of a pipeline at risk. 

In an interview with CBC News on Sunday, Poilievre said this vote was designed to force Carney to "put up or shut up" and prove to Canadians he's serious about building a pipeline. 

With some Liberal MPs skittish, Poilievre also framed this motion as a chance for the prime minister to shut down what he called his "keep it in the ground" caucus.

Speaking in the House of Commons Tuesday, Poilievre said his motion, which he later amended to include a reference to working with Indigenous peoples and B.C., uses "wording right out of the prime minister's MOU to make it easy for him" to vote yes. He said the government is making "excuses" to vote against the motion and appease anti-pipeline members of the caucus.

But the federal ministers responsible for implementing the agreement with Alberta dismissed the Conservative manoeuvre as a stunt that accomplishes nothing.

Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson told reporters that Poilievre's motion "cherry-picks" language from the MOU.

He said that memorandum was "a comprehensive agreement," and Poilievre's motion is focused on only one aspect — the possible pipeline — when there's other parts to it, such as electricity interties to neighbouring provinces, nuclear energy development and a multi-billion-dollar carbon capture project.

The motion is also silent on some environmental issues Smith agreed to address, like the industrial carbon tax and methane reduction regulations. 

"Canadians see the motion put forward today for what it is: it's a cynical ploy to divide us," Hodgson said.

While some Liberal MPs like Steven Guilbeault and Patrick Weiler have expressed concern about what Carney has agreed to — framing the MOU as an assault on the country's climate goals — Hodgson insisted "the caucus is supportive of the entire MOU."

Hodgson said developing Canada's natural resources is the best card the country can play while it grapples with a U.S. trade war that has already caused job losses, plant closures and economic uncertainty.

"We have some fantastic cards," Hodgson said.