Go Oilers? Canadians vie for the Stanley Cup, and debate a new pipeline

The elbows haven't come down due north, as Canadians continue to bristle at threats from the Trump administration. Their new prime minister met with leaders from all the provinces this week to join forces on efforts to bolster Canada's economy.

KUOW’s Kim Malcolm caught up with Vancouver-based journalist Michelle Eliot for an update on politics, environmental and wildfire concerns, Stanley Cup Fever, and the end of the line for the Hudson’s Bay Company, founded in 1670.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Kim Malcolm: Prime Minister Mark Carney wants to deliver on campaign promises he made to supercharge Canada's economy amid tariff impacts, and it's still a very live issue. The tariffs on steel and aluminum were doubled this week to 50%, and Canada is the top exporter of those items to the United States. Part of the Prime Minister's attempt, which might surprise some folks here in the States, is to get Canadian provincial leaders to lower trade barriers that exist between the provinces. Why are these internal trade barriers in place, and what are they?

Michelle Eliot: Those trade barriers have been a thorn in the side of various provinces over the years, including BC. Here in BC, we've heard wine growers say, ‘we're not able to ship wine direct to consumers in other provinces.’ It was easier for someone in Alberta to get wine from California than to get wine from the Okanagan Valley here in BC. So those are the kinds of things that just made it easier to generate trade down south, rather than across provincial borders. That's something they're really trying to tackle.

What you saw were premiers who haven't always seen eye to eye being very chummy and really trying to make a go of a better relationship. We saw Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who can be a character, cheekily serenade the cameras as he was walking past them, side by side with the Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Premier Ford actually broke out into song — 'Love Is in the Air' — and everybody laughed. There seemed to be cautious optimism that we're going to be on the same page to remove barriers.

One item that came up at that premiers meeting was a revived proposal for a new pipeline to bring bitumen from Alberta to the northern coast of BC. There was a lot of pushback to a similar proposal years ago, from folks living along the route. Where do people in BC stand now that this idea for the new pipeline has come back up again?

Oh, it is a hot topic, Kim. We just talked about it on our show today, and it really generated a lot of response. People do remember that previous pipeline proposal, the Northern Gateway Pipeline. It had been previously approved by the federal government, and then there was so much opposition. In the end, there was a ban on shipping oil off the coast, and that effectively killed the pipeline. This was about a decade ago.

Are things different now? Alberta Premier Danielle Smith hopes so. She's pushing for a new pipeline. And the reaction? This morning we heard from the BC energy minister, who called it a colossally expensive and not realistic proposal, and he called it a political proposal. So, there's already some pushback to that idea, although the Alberta premier says this is very important for our nation, national unity, and she's made it quite a significant demand for the prime minister, who himself has shown some support for it.

And this morning, we heard in the House of Commons, again, more tit for tat, the conservative House Leader in the House of Commons called BC Premier David Eby a “radical” premier for not being on board with a new pipeline. So, this is something when you talk about pipelines in British Columbia, it’s a very emotional issue. There are lots of environmental concerns, concerns around climate change.

And as you know, there are wildfires burning right now in western provinces and prairie provinces. The smoke is being felt in other parts of the country as well. People are making the connection between pipeline expansion and climate change.

Let’s turn a corner a bit here and talk hockey. The Stanley Cup Final starts this week, and a Canadian NHL team is in it. The Edmonton Oilers are facing the Florida Panthers. Here in the States, we are noticing there's a lot of support for Edmonton this year in Canada, including from areas that don't normally support the Oilers, like Calgary. What's going on here?

You know I'm not a huge hockey fan. I know you are. I am, though, Canadian, and a bandwagoner, big time. So, I get into it when the Canucks are doing well. Once we're into the playoffs tonight, I'm sure I will get into the this final run.

A story this morning that I thought you might enjoy is a hockey fan in Kelowna BC, has mowed his lawn into the shape of the Oilers logo. It is manicured and meticulous. It's huge. It looks fantastic. People are coming by for selfies.

It’s all good fun, but seriously, what would it mean for Canada if the Stanley Cup were to return to Canada after all these years?

That drought for the Stanley Cup has always been kind of a thorn in our side.

Over 30 years now.

It would mean, I think, even more if it were to happen this time around.

Listen to the interview by clicking the play button above.