Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says economic pressure may be what’s needed to get the B.C. government to back down from its opposition of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, which has put the $7.4-billion project in jeopardy.  

In an interview with BNN Monday, Notley said there are different steps that can be taken to pressure British Columbia.

“We can have economic and fiscal pressure put on to the government of B.C.,” Notley said. “We can ensure that the jurisdiction and the federal government and its right to make this decision is asserted either legislatively or judicially and we can do whatever we can to reduce investor uncertainty to make sure that the project proponent carries on.”

Notley says the federal government has been looking at these steps but “this is obviously a matter that has to be accelerated …There’s no question this cannot be allowed to sit, there’s too much at stake.”

On Sunday Kinder Morgan Canada announced it was halting most work on its Trans Mountain expansion project, which has been facing ongoing opposition from the B.C, government, municipalities, environmentalists and aboriginal groups.

Kinder Morgan said it was setting a May 31 deadline for some kind of certainty the project won’t face endless delays or it may decide to walk away.

Several oil companies have voiced concern that investors may start to take their money elsewhere if even federally approved projects can’t get built in Canada.

Notley had suggested the Alberta government might try to calm investor jitters by taking a public stake in the project, but told BNN that would only be done out of necessity.

“I don’t know necessarily that the Alberta government should be the first place to go for that,” she said. “I’m just letting people know that if it becomes necessary, that is something we will do because it is not going to be the case that the tactics used by the government of B.C. will be able to scare away Alberta.”

The federal government is facing criticism for not taking a more significant leadership role in ensuring the Trans Mountain expansion project proceeds. But Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr told BNN the federal government has been involved in the process every step of the way.

“Whenever there has been any attempt to delay unnecessarily, the government of Canada has intervened and successfully,” Carr said. “And we will look at all available tools, financial, regulatory and legal in order to ensure that the pipeline is built.”

Carr also said he does not believe oil companies and energy investors are looking to leave Canada due to the current climate of uncertainty, highlighting a recent meeting in Fort McMurray between senior oil executives and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“We talked about the importance of market access, we talked about [the Trans Mountain] pipeline, we heard very well the anxiety in this industry, about the competitive pressures,“ said Carr.

“I think it was a terrific exchange, actually, and I know that many of those CEOs walked out of there feeling as if the federal government understood the issues. Not only do we understand the issues, but we’re acting in order to ensure that this pipeline will be built.”

When asked what the federal government will do if Kinder Morgan does decide to walk away from the Trans Mountain project, Carr said the appropriate steps will be taken to make sure that doesn’t happen.

“They seek clarity. We will work with them and we will work with the government of Alberta to give them the clarity they need,” Carr said.