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Trudeau's Pipeline Gamble Stalls After Court Overturns Approval

  • Ruling effectively halts construction of pipeline project
  • NEB report and indigenous consultation cited as flaws
Demonstrators protest against Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion outside of the G-7 finance ministers meeting in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, on June 2, 2018. 

Demonstrators protest against Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion outside of the G-7 finance ministers meeting in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, on June 2, 2018. 

Photographer: Darryl Dyck/Bloomberg
Updated on

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s bid to press ahead with construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline suffered a major setback after a Canadian court nullified approval of the project.

The Federal Court of Appeal ruled Thursday that the regulatory review of the pipeline expansion was “impermissibly flawed” because it excluded project-related tanker traffic. In addition, the court found the government failed to fulfill its legal duty to consult indigenous people.