Follow the TMX decision, don’t appeal it

Much as the recent Federal Court of Appeal decision to quash the National Energy Board’s approval of the Trans-Mountain Pipeline expansion outraged Albertans and other supporters of the project, the decision is not an unsurmountable obstacle, writes Canada West Foundation president and CEO and former MP Martha Hall Findlay in this analysis.

Rather, the decision gives the proponent (read: Canadian taxpayers) a specific pathway to eventual approval that includes proper consideration of shipping impacts and consultation with First Nations. Instead of appealing the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada, which Alberta Premier Rachel Notley has called for, the federal government should see that these final – and important – requirements are met.