Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe encouraged other provinces and the federal government to follow his example on pipeline approval. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

By CKOM News

Provincial Politics

Premier says pipeline permits ‘considered pre-approved’ in Sask.

Feb 27, 2025 | 9:55 AM

Saskatchewan’s premier says all pipeline permits for lines going east, west or south that are received by the provincial government “will be considered pre-approved.”

Scott Moe made the announcement on social media Wednesday. The premier is currently in Washington D.C. along with a group of business leaders working to tout the trade relationship between Saskatchewan and the United States in an effort to fend of the tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump.

The premier, who has long been a proponent of pipeline construction, encouraged other provinces and Canada’s federal government to follow Saskatchewan’s example. Moe tagged both Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in his post.

Moe’s comments come a day after Trump said he would like to see the Keystone XL pipeline project resurrected, adding that the Alberta-to-Oklahoma pipeline would see “easy approvals” and an “almost immediate start,” despite the project’s lengthy history of issues with environmental opposition.

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Former President Joe Biden revoked the pipeline’s permit on his first day as president in 2021, effectively killing the project that Trump had approved during his first term in office.

Trump’s comments on the project were welcomed by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who encouraged the president to scrap his plans to impose tariffs on Canadian products and instead focus on getting projects like the Keystone XL expansion constructed.

Moe voiced similar sentiments on Tuesday in a separate social media post.

“The path to continental energy dominance is to increase non-tariff North American trade,” Moe wrote. “This includes the construction of new pipelines like Keystone XL.”

But despite the encouraging comments from Trump and the Canadian premiers, South Bow Corp. said it has “moved on” from the Keystone XL project.

Pipelines that cross provincial boundaries or the Canada-U.S. border are reviewed by the Canada Energy Regulator and approved by the federal government.

Ottawa also has a legal duty to consult Indigenous groups whose treaty rights may be affected by projects.

Response from Saskatchewan Government

In response to requests for more detail, the premier’s office offered a statement.

It said Saskatchewan has always been supportive of critical infrastructure like pipelines, and the industry needs provincial certainty for their development.

The statement also said development of those pipelines has been slowed down by regulatory policies and federal politics.

It reiterated the call for other provinces and the federal government to follow Saskatchewan.

–with files from 980’s Lisa Shick and The Canadian Press