It’s imperative that Kinder Morgan is able to “finish what it started” and build the Trans Mountain expansion pipeline project, the president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce told BNN Bloomberg in an interview Wednesday.

“It’s not a case of between the people of British Columbia and the people of Alberta, but rather an issue that affects all Canadian families who all have an interest in seeing the pipeline going ahead,” said Beatty.

The project has been delayed by legal challenges from the province of British Columbia. Kinder Morgan (KML.TO) has posed a deadline of May 31 to abandon the Trans Mountain project unless it receives assurances that it can complete it.

Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced last week that the government will indemnify the company – or any other company – that picks up the project.

Beatty says backstopping the $7.4-billion expansion of a pipeline between Edmonton and Burnaby, B.C. will not solve the problem.

“I haven’t talked to anyone who has indicated that they would like to fill the void if there is one left,” Beatty said. “If Kinder Morgan were to make the decision not to proceed and someone else were to decide to fill the gap that’s left, this would simply be a slower project.”

The Chamber of Commerce led a delegation of business, labour and indigenous leaders to Parliament Hill earlier Wednesday to meet with lawmakers and convince them to support the construction of the pipeline.

Ottawa needs to remove the impediments to the project and allow it to proceed, Beatty said.

“[Kinder Morgan] have had the federal government designate this as something that is in the national interest and still you have people who are using legal subterfuge as a means to using making a decision by delay. This makes no sense whatsoever,” said Beatty.

The pipeline is supported by the majority of Canadians, including a majority of people in British Columbia, he said.  Beatty said he continues to hope B.C. will drop its opposition to the project.

“One lives in hopes that Premier Horgan and the members of his cabinet will see reason. We shall see,” he said.