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He said Canada lacks a “framework in place that reconciles resource development and climate change,” and warned that the absence of such an understanding could bar future projects from reaching completion.

The Frontier mine has gone through nearly a decade of regulatory review, and a decision by the Liberal cabinet, which was expected by end of week, would have marked the final stage in the drawn-out approval process.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney blamed the decision on “federal inaction” under Trudeau, as protestors block rail lines and other infrastructure in opposition to the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern B.C.

The project, which is entirely separate from the proposed Frontier oilsands mine, would transport natural gas from northern Alberta and B.C. to an export facility on the West Coast.

‘Militant minority’

“The timing of the decision is not a coincidence,” Kenney said in a statement. “This was an economically viable project, as the company confirmed this week, for which the company was advocating earlier this week, so something clearly changed very recently.”

“It is what happens when governments lack the courage to defend the interests of Canadians in the face of a militant minority,” he said.

Federal Conservative leader Andrew Scheer also tied the decision to the federal government.

“Justin Trudeau’s inaction has emboldened radical activists and public safety concerns are now shutting down nation-building energy projects,” he said on Twitter.