Natural Resources Minister Ralph Goodale said the stance is consistent with his government's view that politicians should not meddle in the regulatory process.
Michael Kergin, Canada's ambassador to the United States, delivered a letter to the Bush administration last month to "express Canada's concern" over a U.S. House of Representatives amendment that would block an offshore pipeline from being built.
The letter, sent to U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, argued all pipeline options "should be afforded equal, fair consideration," and said the industry should not be handcuffed "in its assessment of routing proposals."
Goodale described the U.S. legislative intervention as "completely inappropriate," viewing it as a "clear attempt to skew the process."
Hal Kvisle and Michael Phelps — the CEOs of TransCanada PipeLines and Westcoast Energy, the joint owners of Foothills Pipe Lines — objected to Kergin's letter.
"It appears to us to represent a significant policy change by Canada," they said in a letter to Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister John Manley. "We are extremely disappointed that Ambassador Kergin now seems to be signaling that Canada has shifted from its legal obligations (supporting the Alaska highway line) and is prepared to consider other routes for the movement of Alaska gas."