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OTTAWA — NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh wants the Supreme Court of Canada to settle a jurisdictional dispute over the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, arguing that it would “provide much-needed clarity to all involved.”

On Wednesday, Singh said Ottawa should work with the B.C. government, which opposes the pipeline expansion, to submit a reference question to the Supreme Court. But he would not answer questions about whether such a move could effectively kill the project, given that Kinder Morgan has threatened to pull the plug on Trans Mountain in about six weeks, while it would almost certainly take months for the court to issue an opinion.

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“There is a jurisdictional dispute in communities such as Burnaby and in various First Nations communities in British Columbia,” Singh told reporters in Ottawa. “This dispute must be resolved.”

It’s a proposal the Liberals seem unlikely to adopt, however. Speaking to reporters after meeting with Alberta Premier Rachel Notley on Wednesday evening, federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau said he doesn’t see a need to refer the issue to the Supreme Court. “We are in a position where we know that this is federal jurisdiction,” he said. “That, from our standpoint, is not a course of action that makes sense.” Morneau said the government remains committed to getting the pipeline built.