Premier Scott Moe says all pipelines through Sask. are now pre-approved. Experts say that doesn’t mean much [Video]

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says any pipeline projects that cross the province will now be considered “pre-approved.”

While the proclamation is provocative, experts say it changes very little about the reality of building a pipeline in Canada.

“Materially this doesn’t mean anything, right? This is essentially nonsense. So this is political discourse,” said Amy Janzwood, an assistant professor of politics at McGill University in Montreal.

Professor Andrew Leach, an economist at the University of Alberta, agreed that Moe’s comments are political theatre.

Any pipelines that cross provincial boundaries — or the Canada-U.S. border — have to be reviewed by the Canada Energy Regulator.

Ottawa would then have a duty to consult Indigenous communities along the pipeline’s path before ultimately deciding whether to approve the project.

Leach said Moe’s comments mean very little, because provinces have no real capacity to withhold permits. Janzwood agreed.

“It doesn’t mean anything in the sense …