Pipelines or Progress: Government support for oil and gas pipelines in Canada

Canadian governments provided over CAD 23 billion in support to oil and gas pipelines between 2018 and 2021, with CAD 10 billion allocated after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This support, which includes loans and loan guarantees, is argued to undermine Canada's net-zero goals and international commitments to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.

• Between 2018 and 2021, Canadian governments provided more than CAD 23 billion in support to oil and gas pipelines, a figure likely underestimated due to a lack of government transparency. This total includes over CAD 11 billion in loans and at least CAD 10 billion in loan guarantees or liabilities, with over CAD 10 billion provided after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The report analyzed support for three specific pipeline projects: Trans Mountain, which received at least eight types of financial support measures; Keystone XL, which received two; and Coastal GasLink, which also received two. None of these projects had been completed at the time of the report.
• Public financial support for pipelines is identified as a risk to public money and a contradiction of Canada's international commitments under the G7 and G20 to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, as well as being incompatible with a net-zero economy.

APA

Corkal,, V. (2021). Pipelines or Progress: Government support for oil and gas pipelines in Canada. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/oil-gas-pipelines-green-recovery-canada

Chicago

Corkal,, Vanessa. Pipelines or Progress: Government support for oil and gas pipelines in Canada. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/publications/oil-gas-pipelines-green-recovery-canada.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Corkal, |first1=Vanessa |title=Pipelines or Progress: Government support for oil and gas pipelines in Canada |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=5 July 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/oil-gas-pipelines-green-recovery-canada |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{corkal2021pipelines, author = {Corkal,, Vanessa}, title = {{Pipelines or Progress: Government support for oil and gas pipelines in Canada}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/oil-gas-pipelines-green-recovery-canada}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }