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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in British Columbia Tuesday for the first time since approving a new $6.8 billion Trans Mountain oil pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby, said he respects the right of opponents to vigorously protest the project.

But Trudeau also cautioned project critics — some of whom, including Green Party leader Elizabeth May, have threatened to engage in civil disobedience — to keep their protests within the parameters of Canadian law.

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He said his government is balancing its controversial approval of the Kinder Morgan Inc. expansion, which would increase crude oil tanker traffic through Burrard Inlet from five to 34 vessels a month, with measures he hopes will ease concerns about the environment and public safety.

They include the recently announced deal with provinces to bring in a national price on carbon, a $1.5 billion initiative to improve coastal safety, and a plan to protect the Orca whale.