Yukon Premier Pat Duncan is in Ottawa, Canada's capital, this week to give a history lesson to federal officials on the Alaska Highway gas pipeline route.
She said Prime Minister Jean Chretien is well aware that the 20-year-old proposal is the subject of a Canada-U.S. treaty, that it has been permitted and that it has a certificate of public convenience and necessity issued by the parliament of Canada.
But she's not so sure the bureaucrats are "as aware" that the route "met the environmental standards of the day and the treaty and environmental permitting in Canada" that has been used to regulate the "pre-build" portion from central Alberta to the U.S. Midwest.
The "pre-build" is operated by Foothills Pipe Lines, sponsor of the highway project, and delivers 3.3 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day in two legs into the United States.
Duncan also has meetings with Foreign Affairs Minister John Manley, Justice Minister Anne McLellan and leaders of the Opposition parties to inform them that the homework has been done on the project.
She did not indicate whether the "re-education" mission is also designed to snuff out any political movement towards a made-in-Canada pipeline down the Mackenzie Valley before the highway system is built.
But Duncan did emphasize that it's not up to the Canadian government to endorse one route over another.
"Canada should be route neutral," she said. "Canada needs to be ready to regulate and Canada needs to be aware of the benefits to Canada of these northern developments."
