As provincial leaders prepared to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney July 23, the premiers of Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan signed a memorandum of understanding calling for the construction of new pipelines using Ontario steel.
The premiers gathered in Ontario’s cottage country to talk about eliminating internal trade barriers and respond to Donald Trump’s threat to impose 35% tariffs on a wide variety of Canadian goods on Aug. 1, The Canadian Press reported.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford calls the agreement a “game changer” that focused on shipping western oil to refineries in southern Ontario and a new deep sea port on James Bay.
The agreement also called for new rail lines to help ship critical minerals from yet-to-be approved mines in Ontario’s Ring of Fire region to Western Canada.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she’d heard from Carney that he wants to make Canada an energy superpower, reiterating her calls for him to remove “nine bad laws” she blames hurting Canada’s business investment climate.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said he wants to hear from Carney on how port capacity can be expanded to get more exports to overseas markets and reduce Canada’s reliance on U.S. trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025.
