Comments made by a high-ranking public servant have placed the Trudeau Government under the microscope when it comes to the approval process connected to the Trans Mountain pipeline.
In late 2016, federal officials met with representatives of a North Vancouver First Nation and told representatives that no decision had been reached on the Trans Mountain pipeline.
However, the problem came when Erin O’Gorman, the former Associate Deputy Minister of the Major Projects Management Office instructed M.P.’s, one month before the pipeline project was approved, to ‘give Cabinet a legally-sound basis to say ‘yes’ to Trans Mountain.
Cowichan-Malahat-Langford M.P. Alistair MacGregor says if the government already made its decision on the project before talks with First Nations the project may be ruled ‘inadmissible.’
These comments came to light following the release of a National Observer report.
MacGregor says the federal government needs ‘meaningful’ discussions with First Nations groups.
