Saskatchewan’s NDP leader on Wednesday affirmed his support for the Keystone XL pipeline project, a stance that doesn’t exactly match up with what federal leader Tom Mulcair has been saying in Washington, DC, all week.

Now Sask. NDP leader rejects Mulcair on pipeline after federal leader is accused of 'betraying our country'

“To clear the record … I support the Keystone XL pipeline because of a triple bottom line assessment looking at environmental, economic and social reasons,” Cam Broten told reporters at the legislature, according to the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix.

Premier Brad Wall had criticized Broten in the legislature on Tuesday for not definitively expressing his support for the pipeline in the wake of Mulcair’s disparaging comments about the project, and instead deferring to what he claimed was pending approval from the National Energy Board.

Wall pointed out that approval came three years ago and urged Broten to “stand up” to Mulcair.

When asked on Wednesday how his expressed support for the pipeline would impact his relationship with Mulcair, Broten, who was only recently elected, said Saskatchewan is his priority.

“Mulcair will make his comments,” he told the newspaper. “My job first and foremost is to stand up for Saskatchewan’s interests, to develop our resources in a sustainable and responsible manner, and that’s the approach that I’ll be taking and our caucus and party will be taking with me as leader.”

Mulcair has been making waves in Washington all week by slamming the Canadian government on its environmental record, a tactic that “betrays our country’s national interest” Wall tweeted on Wednesday.

In meetings with U.S. lawmakers and business executives, Mulcair is telling Americans the Canadian government is “playing people for fools” by claiming that its environmental record is world class and that it cares about climate change.

Mulcair’s message is that the Canadian government’s environmental record is terrible, that it has “gutted” environmental assessments for energy projects and that climate change is not at all among its priorities.

“In the U.S. people know how to read,” he said. “They know that Canada is the only country that has withdrawn from Kyoto. They know that the Conservatives can’t possibly meet their Copenhagen targets [on greenhouse gas emissions] precisely because of the oilsands. They have to stop playing people for fools.”

The Mulcair-led NDP largely opposes the 1,800-kilometre pipeline that will bring 830,000 barrels of Canadian bitumen a day to Texas refineries.

“According to … studies, Keystone represents the export of 40,000 jobs and we think that is a bad thing for Canada,” Mulcair said in an interview.

“We have never taken care of our energy security. We tend to forget that a 10-year supply to the U.S. is a 100-year supply to Canada. We are still going to need the energy supply to heat our homes and run our factories, whether it comes from the oilsands or it comes in the (form of) natural gas. Fossil fuels are always going to be part of the mix.”

Canada’s Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver in turn slammed Mulcair and the NDP on Tuesday for failing to support a project the government maintains is important for increasing energy exports and growing the Canadian economy.

“Governing means standing up for Canada’s interests and Canada’s jobs,” Oliver said.

“I don’t know if [Mulcair] has any credibility down there [in the U.S.] or not, but it isn’t helpful when a senior member of Parliament comes down there either indirectly or directly to speak against a project that is in Canada’s national interest.”

Oliver said he doesn’t believe “it’s consistent with Canadian interests” to oppose the Keystone XL project for environmental reasons because the ecological concerns have already been addressed by U.S. State Department studies.

The minister said he hopes the United States “will do the right thing” and approve the pipeline project because it’s important for American jobs and energy security.

Meanwhile, Mulcair said he is telling the Americans that it is their decision on whether to approve Keystone. But he said he is also telling them not to believe Canadian government claims that Canada has a good record on the environment and climate change.

With files from Postmedia News