Premier Scott Moe says all pipelines through Sask. are now pre-approved. Experts say that doesn't mean much

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says any pipeline projects that cross the province will now be considered "pre-approved."

While the proclamation is provocative, experts say it changes very little about the reality of building a pipeline in Canada.

"Materially this doesn't mean anything, right? This is essentially nonsense. So this is political discourse," said Amy Janzwood, an associate professor of politics at McGill University.

Professor Andrew Leach, an economist at the University of Alberta, agreed that Moe's comments are political theatre.

Any pipelines that cross provincial boundaries — or the Canada-U.S. border — have to be reviewed by the Canada Energy Regulator.

Ottawa would then have a duty to consult Indigenous communities along the pipeline's path before ultimately deciding whether to approve the project.

Leach said Moe's comments mean very little, because provinces have no real capacity to withhold permits. Janzwood agreed.

"It doesn't mean anything in the sense of the regulatory process, which is, as I mentioned, something that is done at the federal level. There's a role for provincial governments if they're interested, but there's no such thing as a pre-approval federally or provincially," Janzwood said.

Moe's post on social media announcing the policy tagged the accounts of President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and came while Moe visited Washington, D.C., this week. 

It also followed Trump's announcement that he wants the Keystone XL built "NOW."

With eyes now focused on domestic energy concerns, Premier Moe said he's issuing a call for other provincial governments and Ottawa to embrace a similar policy.

CBC News attempted to ask for more clarification on Moe's comments. He was not made available for an interview.

The Government of Saskatchewan provided a statement saying the province has "always been supportive of the construction of critical infrastructure."

It said it wants certainty for the oil industry and that development has been "hindered by the introduction of regulatory policies and federal politics."