TORONTO: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday fast-tracked a proposed oil pipeline capable of carrying one million barrels a day to the Pacific coast, which could reduce the country's dependence on the United States and mend relations with oil-rich Alberta as separatists push for a referendum on leaving Canada.
Appearing with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in Fort McMurray, at the heart of Canada's oil sands, Carney designated the Pacific Link pipeline as a project of national interest under legislation his government enacted to accelerate major infrastructure projects.
