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You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced the submission of the West Coast Pipeline Project at Trans Am Piping Products in Calgary on Thursday, July 2, 2026. Photo by Gavin Young /PostmediaFormer Alberta MLA Drew Barnes says that Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party caucus is far from united behind her agreement with Ottawa for a new West Coast oil pipeline.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. 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Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorBarnes, who served in the Alberta legislature from 2012 to 2023, sitting in the UCP caucus from 2017 to 2021, says he’s aware of multiple UCP MLAs who disagree with the premier’s memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Prime Minister Mark Carney on building a new pipeline.Smith appeared alongside Prime Minister Mark Carney last Thursday in Calgary to announce a plan that would see a new pipeline built from Bruderheim, Alta., northeast of Edmonton, largely alongside the existing TMX pipeline, terminating at a port in B.C.’s Lower Mainland. Smith had previously expressed hopes for a route to the northwest coast, closer to Asian importers, but Carney announced earlier in the day with B.C.’s premier that he was leaving in place a tanker ban in that area imposed by the Liberal government in 2019.Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againBarnes said that Smith’s capitulation on her hope for a northern pipeline route, acquiescing to a lengthier southwestern one, was the “icing on the cake.”The MOU also ties the new pipeline’s construction to an increase in Alberta’s industrial carbon tax and multi-billion-dollar subsidies for a massive carbon capture and storage hub in northeastern Alberta.“Here we are with this MOU where we’re already taking the bigger tax hit and committing billions to this expensive luxury of carbon capture and storage, and now we find out that we’re not even getting the best pipeline route to northern B.C.,” Barnes said. Former Alberta MLA Drew Barnes says multiple UCP MLAs disagree with Premier Danielle Smith’s memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Prime Minister Mark Carney on building a new pipeline. Photo by David Bloom David Bloom /David Bloom/PostmediaOne member of Smith’s caucus, Red Deer MLA Jason Stephan, has publicly criticized the MOU, writing in an op-ed on the local conservative digital publication the Western Standard that the deal makes no business sense and doesn’t get Alberta out from under Ottawa’s thumb.Barnes said he thinks there could be more than a dozen people in the UCP’s 47-member caucus who quietly agree with Stephan.“I think there’s a significant percentage, a quarter to a third that would agree with (Stephan),” Barnes said Monday.“Unfortunately, our system is designed that the leader sets the rules (and) direction, and it’s almost impossible to change that,” said Barnes.First elected under the banner of the populist Wildrose Party, Barnes was one of five MPs who stayed with the party when nine of their colleagues, led by then party leader Danielle Smith, crossed the floor in late 2014 to join the governing Progressive Conservatives.In May 2021, Barnes and fellow MLA Todd Loewen were expelled from the UCP caucus for criticizing then-premier Jason Kenney’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta.National Postrmohamed@postmedia.comOur website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. 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