Carney says Pacific Link "will materially reduce that dependence" on selling oil to the US

Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday gave priority status to the proposed Pacific Link oil pipeline, using legislation created to move large projects faster. Appearing in Fort McMurray with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, Carney described the roughly 1,250-kilometer line—capable of moving one million barrels daily from Alberta to a British Columbia port—as a way to sell more Canadian crude to Asian buyers instead of mostly to the United States, where he said 90% of Alberta's oil goes. The move comes before Alberta's Oct. 19 vote on whether to hold a separation referendum and amid U.S. trade pressure. This step still falls short of final approval; financing, producer commitments, environmental conditions, Indigenous concerns and cost remain unresolved. Operation is projected for 2032 or 2033.