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The Trudeau Liberals might call the logic of that argument “inchoate,” but it has left their “clean environment, strong economy” strategy in tatters. The idea of a grand bargain to build a pipeline and impose a carbon tax was already under pressure with the election of provincial governments ardent in their opposition to the new tax.

But they were not expecting to encounter a major court delay to throw sand in the gears.

The decision can be appealed to the Supreme Court. But pipeline construction officially began last weekend and now those workers are off the job. It’s clear that the scheduled service date will have to be put back from December 2020. Dawson suggested the end result of her decision may be a “short delay.”

It’s difficult to share her optimism, even if some Liberals are pinning their hopes on what they called a “prescriptive” decision that was greeted with stunned silence in government circles — the expectation had been for a clean bill of health.

Yet, some confidence remains that by sending Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi to consult with the six affected First Nations communities, and by apprising the NEB of what’s been achieved recently under the Oceans Protection Plan, the project could be back before cabinet in a matter of months. That seems a very rosy assessment of what is likely to happen.

For Justin Trudeau, it is a political disaster. He has staked his personal credibility (not to mention the better part of $15 billion of taxpayers’ money) on getting this pipeline built.

His erstwhile friends in the environmental movement, such as Vancouver city Councillor Andrea Reimer, praised the court for “protecting the public interest.” Greenpeace is rejoicing in what it called a “huge victory for Indigenous people.”

Meanwhile, Andrew Scheer and the Conservatives are lamenting a “total mess” and Trudeau’s “utter failure to champion the cleanest, most ethical, environmentally friendly energy in the world.”

There is a grim irony that this most zealous of prime ministers must now be wondering who will deliver him from turbulent environmentalists, Indigenous protesters and activist judges.

Canada has become not so much a country, as a stalemate. He didn’t create the problem, but he did say he’d solve it.

• Email: jivison@postmedia.com | Twitter: IvisonJ