Helmets line a shelf in a control room at the Trans Mountain Westridge Terminal on Burrard Inlet in Burnaby, British Columbia REUTERS/Chris Helgren

Government MPs voted down an opposition motion Tuesday calling for the Commons Natural Resources Committee to review the government’s controversial $4.5-billion acquisition of the Trans Mountain pipeline.

The attempt for the special study while Parliament is in recess turned into only a brief opportunity for opposition MPs to criticize the Trudeau government after a Federal Court of Appeal ruling last week that struck down a cabinet order approving construction of the pipeline.

The decision, which has put the government’s acquisition of the pipeline from U.S. based Kinder Morgan Corp. under intense criticism, found cabinet failed to conduct constitutionally required meaningful consultations with First Nations near a coastal terminal in Burnaby, B.C., and criticized the National Energy Board for failing to include marine habitat in an environmental review.

Conservative and New Democrat MPs blasted the government after the committee convened, until a Liberal motion calling for a vote on the opposition request ended proceedings after just over 45 minutes. Two hours had been booked.

Alberta MP Shannon Stubbs, who moved the motion on behalf of four opposition MPs who requested the review, focused on thousands of oil industry workers who had already gone through massive job losses prior to the uncertainty over the plan to expand Trans Mountain bitumen oil shipments from Alberta.

“The ongoing delays are no longer acceptable,” said Stubbs, whose Lakeland electoral district broaches southern areas of oil sands production.

“They feel betrayed and they are angry,” Stubbs said.

“They feel they’re being kicked while they’re down,” she said.

Northern Ontario Liberal MP Marc Serre blamed the previous Conservative government, under which the Trans Mountain project began, arguing the Conservatives failed to get other major projects through while they were in power.

A court ruling struck down Conservative cabinet approval for one of the biggest pipeline proposals in Canada’s history – the Northern Gateway project that the Liberals opposed.

That ruling also found the government had failed to adequately consult First Nations.

“The Conservatives had the opportunity to build pipelines and get our resources to tidewater,” said Serre. “The Conservatives did not get it done.”

Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre accused the government of wasting taxpayer money with the pipeline acquisition – pointing out the $4.5 billion paid to Kinder Morgan will go toward new projects outside of Canada.

B.C. NDP MP Richard Cannings focused on the government’s failure to meet constitutional obligations for meaningful consultations with First Nations, as well is the failure to include marine habitat, notably an at-risk pod of orca whales.

“To me, this just shows the government doesn’t get it,” said Cannings. “The government knows what proper consultations should be.”

Stubb’s motion called for six committee meetings to study the government’s “actions” regarding the Trans Mountain purchase, and to have Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi appear as witnesses.

The meetings would have started this week.

The Liberal MPs who voted against the motion were Ottawa MP Mona Fortier, New Brunswick MP T.J. Harvey, Serre, Toronto MP Geng Tan and St. John’s MP Nick Whelan

Cannings and Stubbs voted for the motion, as did Ontario Conservative MP Jamie Schmale and Manitoba Conservative MP Ted Falk.

Poilievre, the Conservative finance critic, and NDP MP Nathan Cullen, caucus liaison for B.C., attended and spoke at the meeting but they are not members and had no vote.