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MONTREAL — Justin Trudeau says his role as prime minister in thorny issues such as pipelines is to bring people together and secure a better future for Canadians.

Trudeau and Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre held a news conference in Montreal on Tuesday after a 45-minute meeting in which the Energy East pipeline project was a major topic of discussion.

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Coderre and the organization that represents Montreal-area municipalities came out last week against the project, arguing the environmental risks associated with it far outweigh the economic benefits.

That triggered a war of words with certain western Canadian politicians, including Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and Brian Jean, head of the Opposition Wildrose party in Alberta.

Trudeau says Ottawa’s role is to put forth a process that allows TransCanada or any other company to have the chance to show that a project is in the public interest and should have the approval of Canadians.

“We talked about pipelines and energy policy and I highlighted that I am always happy to hear perspectives from across the country,” Trudeau said.

“But my responsibility as prime minister is to make sure that on national projects we’re behaving in a way that both contributes to the economy, to a secure environment, to bringing people together and mostly to creating a better future.”

He and Coderre also discussed infrastructure, the refugee question, the 150th anniversary of Confederation next year as well as Montreal’s 375th birthday, which is also set for 2017.