Keystone XL: New Canadian Prime Minister supports pipeline

Justin Trudeau supports Keystone XL

Canadian Prime Minister elect, Justin Trudeau says he supports the Keystone XL pipeline.

Keystone XL supporters are hoping the election of Justin Trudeau will mend the rocky relationship with the United States and pave the way for approval of TransCanada’s pipeline project to the Texas Gulf Coast.

Canadian voters emphatically reclaimed their country’s liberal identity, putting Trudeau, the youthful son of one of the country’s most dynamic politicians, in the prime minister’s office, and ending 10 years of leadership by Stephen Harper, whose dream was to recast Canada as a more conservative country.

The victory in Monday’s election by Trudeau’s Liberal Party was stunning. The Liberals were on a path to win at least 184 seats out of 338 – a parliamentary majority that will allow Trudeau to govern without relying on other parties. Harper’s Conservatives were winning 100. The Liberals received 39.5 per cent of the overall vote compared to 32 per cent for the Conservatives and 19.6 for the New Democrats.

Harper, one of the longest-serving Western leaders, will step down as Conservative leader, the party announced as the scope of its loss became apparent.

Trudeau’s victory could result in improved ties with the United States, at least for the remainder of Barack Obama’s presidency. Harper was frustrated by Obama’s reluctance to approve the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta to Texas and clashed with the president on other issues, including the Iran nuclear deal. Although Trudeau supports the Keystone pipeline, he argues relations should not hinge on the project.

Trudeau is the son of the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who swept to office in 1968 on a wave of support dubbed “Trudeaumania.” He was prime minister until 1984 with a short interruption and remains one of the few Canadian politicians known in America, his charisma often drawing comparisons to John F. Kennedy.

Canada shifted to the centre-right under Harper, who lowered sales and corporate taxes, avoided climate change legislation, and strongly supported the oil and gas extraction industry.

“The people are never wrong,” Harper told supporters in Calgary, the centre of the Canadian oil and gas industry. “The disappointment is my responsibility and mine alone.”

The Canadian Press