Facing pressure to get behind a new oil Alberta pipeline in the wake of U.S. military attacks on oil-rich Venezuela, Premier David Eby on Tuesday opened the door to building a new oil refinery instead. Just, not likely in British Columbia, says his energy minister.

Eby said he’d rather public money go towards refining Alberta’s oil into gasoline and diesel for use in Canada, rather than a pipeline to take bitumen from Alberta to B.C.’s coast for export to China.

“If we're going to do public investment into our resources here in Canada, I think it might be time to pivot that discussion to a refinery,” Eby said Tuesday.

“We still buy oil products from the United States. I don't understand why, if we're talking about massive public investment into supporting Albertans in this fragile global time, we can't talk about supporting all Canadians with oil and gas products that are made right here at home while we transition.

“And so I hope that that's where some of the conversation goes, following the uncertainty that comes from Venezuela, but we'll see.”

Eby said a new refinery would leave Canada less reliant on shipping bitumen to........

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