Alberta United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney said the federal government is “doing nothing” to ensure the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project moves forward, even though it has options at hand.

“There are a number of concrete decisions they could take to show that the federal government means business in defending free trade in the country, the rule of law and the country’s vital economic interests,” Kenney said in an interview with BNN Bloomberg Thursday.

Kenney said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government could withhold the $4 billion of federal funding pledged for B.C. infrastructure as a way to force Premier John Horgan to back down, and also suspend current negotiations for job training funds.

“They could use the power of the federal purse,” Kenney said.

He also urged the federal government to pass a Senate bill that would declare Kinder Morgan’s $7.4-billion project “for the common advantage.”

“That invokes the special declaratory power of the constitution… which effectively sets aside or overrides any provincial delay tactics. That’s one thing they could do for greater legal certainty,” Kenney said.

Kinder Morgan has set a May 31 deadline for assurances on the project, which expands an existing pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby, B.C. The controversial pipeline faces a number of legal challenges from B.C. as well as opposition from environmental groups and protestors.

Trudeau’s government has vowed that Trans Mountain will be built, pledging last week to provide an indemnity to Kinder Morgan – or any other company that picks up the project – for costs associated with unnecessary delays.

“They’re doing nothing to get it going,” Kenney said. “The federal government could stop this dispute between Alberta and the B.C. New Democrats today if they really wanted to.”