Ottawa working behind the scenes to get Trans Mountain pipeline built: Trudeau

CALGARY — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there are some critics who will never be convinced he’s doing enough to ensure the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion goes ahead.

But he says his government is working hard as a deadline imposed by pipeline builder Kinder Morgan fast approaches.

The Texas-based company has warned it will pull the plug on the project by month’s end if hurdles to expanding the pipeline through British Columbia remain.

A small group of pro-pipeline protesters were shouting as Trudeau made a public transit funding announcement at a Calgary light rail station.

Trudeau would not say whether he had meetings planned with any Kinder Morgan executives while he’s in town a day ahead of the company’s shareholder meeting.

The Trans Mountain project would triple the flow of heavy oil products from Edmonton to Burnaby, B.C.

Trudeau said Tuesday his government is looking at legislative, legal and financial avenues to get the project moving, but he won’t negotiate in public.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said he’s as impatient as anyone to see the pipeline built, but he’s convinced the federal and provincial governments are doing everything they can to ensure that happens.

Trudeau’s government approved expansion of the Trans Mountain line in 2016, but the B.C. government has been fighting it. Last month, Kinder Morgan stopped all non-essential spending on the project and said it wants assurances by the end of this month that the expansion can proceed.

(Companies in this story: TSX:KML)