Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has directed Energy Minister Brian Jean to expand oil production and push forward multiple pipeline projects, including a proposed bitumen route to British Columbia’s northwest coast.
In a new mandate letter issued Oct 2, Smith urged Jean to secure federal approval for the B.C. project while also pursuing connections to the United States, Ontario, Hudson Bay, and the Arctic. The plan aims to increase Alberta’s oil output to six million barrels per day by 2030 and eight million by 2035.
According to ATB’s September report, Alberta produced 4.2 million barrels per day in August 2025, the highest on record for that month. Jean called the targets “very realistic,” saying the province can meet them if regulatory barriers are eased.
Environmental groups like the Alberta Wilderness Association warned that the expansion conflicts with Canada’s Paris Agreement goals of cutting emissions 40 to 45 percent by 2030. Conservation specialist Cameron Hunter argued that Alberta should prioritize renewables instead of higher-carbon output.
Jean maintained that support for a new west-coast pipeline remains strong, noting that many First Nations communities back the idea despite some political resistance in B.C.
The mandate faces logistical challenges too, with no formal inter-provincial pipeline agreements currently in place with Manitoba or Ontario. Jean said Alberta will move forward regardless, declaring, “You can’t be on Team Canada if you’re not on Team Alberta.”
Pipeline companies remain interested, Jean said, but current federal laws such as Bill C-69 and Bill C-48 have made new projects nearly impossible. If lifted, he believes private investment would return.
Critics like Hunter caution Alberta could fall behind as global energy shifts away from oil. Jean countered that expanding production supports livelihoods in regions like Fort McMurray and Lac La Biche, calling it vital to “jobs, the economy, and long-term quality of life.”
