Start your day off right with five things you need to know this morning.
Five things you need to know
The BC NDP has given its backing to a proposal to increase the capacity of the Trans Mountain oil pipeline system as it continues to vehemently oppose the construction of a new pipeline to BC's northwest coast. The party, which has been in charge of BC since 2017, was originally hostile to the Trans Mountain expansion project, warning that it would put the province's environment at risk. But Energy Minister Adrian Dix now says: "We just finished a pipeline. It’s paid for by the Canadian taxpayer, and we’re trying to make it better for them."
B.C. backs proposal to increase capacity for Trans Mountain pipeline https://t.co/WTgk0QCU27 pic.twitter.com/wHx0sIoeFX
— Robert Fife (@RobertFife) November 20, 2025
In more pipeline news, BC's jobs minister, Ravi Kahlon, has warned that rumours of a federal plan to end the ban on oil tankers off the northern BC coast would put billions of dollars of projects in the province "at risk." That's because, according to Kahlon, First Nations on the coast "don't believe it's in the interest of their region" and could withdraw support for other developments if it goes ahead.
Ending tanker ban risks billions, B.C. minister says; Liberal MPs say consent needed https://t.co/SUdMoQmFis #nationlnewswatch via @natnewswatch
— National Newswatch (@natnewswatch) November 20, 2025
The prime minister, meanwhile, is in the United Arab Emirates as he continues his odyssey to find new trade partners. This morning, Mark Carney announced an investment pact with the oil-rich Middle Eastern country, which is also hoping to become a major player in the AI sector by using its abundant energy to power data centres. Tomorrow, the PM is off to South Africa.
PM Mark Carney met with the UAE’s president. His office says he signed a new investment agreement to “attract
— Ashley Burke (@AshleyBurkeCBC) November 20, 2025
capital to nation-building projects.”Carney also launched talks toward a free trade deal. The PM is now touring the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. pic.twitter.com/IbKq3yyFkW
Elsewhere in the world, Canada is not being treated with quite so much respect. The Climate Action Network International activist group has given Canada its sarcastic "fossil of the day" award at the COP30 conference in Brazil, accusing Mark Carney's government of "flushing years of climate action down the drain."
🔟 And finally… Fossil of the Day goes to Canada.
— Climate Action Network International (CAN) (@CANIntl) November 18, 2025
A decade of hard-won progress has been tossed aside - from climate laws to oil & gas caps to adaptation plans.
At COP30, Canada has chosen silence on finance, absence on just transition, and retreat when leadership is needed. pic.twitter.com/fvYB3t8OZD
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said she is using the notwithstanding clause of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to prevent "medical experiments" on children in the name of transgenderism. Smith, who has been accused by the opposition NDP of violating Albertans' human rights, said "we believe in science," adding: "This is about protecting children and making sure that medical experiments are not conducted on them because we do not have good data." The invocation of the clause will shield a series of laws, including one preventing doctors from prescribing transgender-related puberty blockers to children under 16.
Charter override on trans laws to prevent 'medical experiments' on children: Smith
— Jack Farrell 🗞 (@_jack_farrell) November 20, 2025
From @JournoSousa: https://t.co/GyIMs5oOOe
