The president of Kinder Morgan is vowing to go forward with the controversial Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project, despite mounting political tensions in British Columbia.  

“This is critically important. Now is the time for this,” Ian Anderson, president of Kinder Morgan Canada, told BNN in an interview Friday. “We are depriving the Canadian economy of billions of dollars in economic activity every year.”

When it comes to the “noise” in B.C., Anderson said there are plans in place to navigate legal and political challenges going forward, noting his positive relationships with governments in the past. The B.C. Green party announced earlier this week that it would throw support behind the provincial NDP to topple the current government led by Liberal Leader Christy Clark. Both the NDP and Greens vowed to block the Trans Mountain expansion.

“Political change is not unusual and it’s not something we haven’t planned for and built into our thinking,” Anderson said.  

“We know the world is watching. We know for Alberta is watching. We know our producers and shippers are watching,” he added. “They’re counting on us to get this project done. And we don’t take that responsibility lightly. And I’ll do everything in my power to deliver a successful project.”

Kinder Morgan Canada (KML.TO) started trading on TSX this past week, debuting below the IPO price of $17 per share. In light of a disappointing first trading week,  Anderson said the company “accepted what the market told us,” and expressed confidence for success longer term.

Construction for the expansion project is scheduled to begin in September, and Anderson said the company would not stray from that timeline.

“We’re ready to go,” he said. “We’re ready to starting putting Canadians to work on this project.”