By: Martin Olszynski
PDF Version: Federal Court of Appeal Quashes Trans Mountain Pipeline Approval: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Case Commented On: Tsleil-Waututh Nation v. Canada (Attorney General) 2018 FCA 153
Last Thursday, the Federal Court of Appeal released its decision in Tsleil-Waututh Nation v. Canada (Attorney General). Those following Canada’s contentious pipeline debate will know that this was the primary legal challenge to Kinder Morgan’s certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN or certificate) for its Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMX) (for a series of related ABlawg posts, see here). The Federal Court of Appeal quashed the CPCN on two grounds: first, the Court held that the National Energy Board’s (NEB) decision to exclude the increased marine traffic associated with the project from the environmental assessment (EA) conducted pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 SC 2012, c 19, s 52 (CEAA, 2012) was unreasonable; and second, Canada did not adequately discharge its constitutionally-rooted duty to consult and accommodate affected Indigenous peoples. This post focuses primarily on the first ground, although as will be seen the two are related. As further discussed below, the Federal Court of Appeal’s analysis with respect to marine traffic appears to be on solid footing (the Good). More problematic is the Court’s approach to the reviewability of EAs generally (i.e. the ability to challenge such reports in court) (the Bad). Most problematic, however, has been the decision’s reception and distortion by various groups and individuals to make various claims that the decision simply does not substantiate (the Ugly).