Sask. Premier Moe Says All Pipeline Projects Involving the Province Are ‘Pre-Approved’

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe speaks to reporters at the Saskatchewan legislature in Regina on Oct. 10, 2023. The Canadian Press/Heywood Yu

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has announced that all pipeline projects involving his province will be considered “pre-approved.”

Moe made the announcement on social media on Feb. 26.

”Effective Immediately: All pipeline permits going east, west, or south received in Saskatchewan will be considered pre-approved,” he wrote in a post on social media.

“We encourage all provinces and the federal government to do the same.”

Moe is currently in Washington to meet with U.S. decision makers and business leaders in response to the threat of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which are expected to begin on March 4.

His announcement comes after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s comments in favour of reviving the XL Pipeline project.

“That project should have never been cancelled,” she said in a Feb. 25 post on X.

Smith was responding to a social media post by Trump, who said he wanted to revive the pipeline project.

“We want the Keystone XL pipeline built,” he wrote on Truth Social.

In her post, Smith said that they should focus on getting “shovels in the ground right away.”

The Keystone XL pipeline was cancelled by the Biden administration. It would have taken Alberta oil to refineries in the Gulf Coast.

Moe also responded to Trump’s comments about Keystone XL.

“The path to continental energy dominance is to increase non-tariff North American trade,” Moe wrote in a Feb. 25 post on X. “This includes the construction of new pipelines like Keystone XL.”

Saskatchewan and Alberta are the two biggest Canadian oil and gas exporters to the United States. Albertan oil made up 87 percent of Canada’s oil exports to the United States in 2023, while Saskatchewan oil comprised nearly 9 percent that year.

Energy East Pipeline

A number of Canada’s provinces have renewed a push for an Energy East-type pipeline project in light of U.S. tariffs.

The project was first proposed in 2013. It would have taken crude oil from Alberta to an export terminal in Saint John, N.B. The pipeline was expected to stretch about 4,600 kilometres across Canada.

However, plans for the pipeline were cancelled in 2017 by TC Energy after a drop in global oil prices. It was cancelled as the National Energy Board was expanding environmental reviews.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has said the pipeline would help get oil from the west to east of Canada, and also present an opportunity to sell the product in Europe.

A recent poll found that 65 percent of Canadians support the pipeline.

Houston has also tabled legislation that would remove interprovincial trade barriers with any province who reciprocates.

He introduced it on Feb. 25, saying it would allow goods and services to be sold in Nova Scotia without further testing or red tape. He said it demonstrated his province has trust in other provinces’ and territories’ testing.

Ottawa has also recently cut federal barriers in half, saying it would help strengthen the economy if the United States introduces tariffs.

It estimated the move would add up to $200 billion to the Canadian economy.

Ottawa said that in 2024, more than $530 billion worth of goods and services moved between provinces and territories. It amounted to about 20 percent of Canada’s GDP.

Jennifer Cowan contributed to this report.