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Bill Morneau isn’t getting aboard Rachel Notley’s oil-by-rail plan to boost crude shipments out of Alberta. But the federal finance minister didn’t completely derail the idea on Tuesday as a short-term way of alleviating the price discount thrashing Canadian oil producers. The province is growing testy waiting for an answer. Alberta’s premier recently asked the Trudeau government to consider helping purchase rail cars and locomotives in an attempt to increase the amount of crude moving out of the province by train as existing pipelines are congested. Morneau seemed to dismiss the idea last weekend, saying it would take at least nine months to execute such a plan. Speaking during and after a Calgary Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Morneau was asked several times Tuesday if the federal government would pony up money for enhanced rail options. Like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his visit to Calgary last week , the finance minister avoided a direct response, pivoting to the broader point that Ottawa wants to see its Trans Mountain pipeline expansion built. “We don’t want to divert our resources to ideas that won’t actually have an important impact,” Morneau said at one point. Talking to reporters later, the finance minister […]
