Canada's pipeline paralysis hits Trudeau hard

A Canadian court has blocked plans for a pipeline expansion

Plus ç a change, plus c'est la même chose, goes an old French proverb. In the case of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX) it's more a case of deja vu all over again after a federal court judge effectively quashed approvals for the C$7.5bn ($5.75bn) conduit, which would have tripled existing oil sands capacity to the country's west coast to 0.8m barrels a day. In its decision, the court ruled the federal government failed to consult Aboriginal communities living along the 1,150 km route to the sea. It's a huge blow for pipeline proponents who have spent much of the past five years fighting protests to wring permits from various levels of government. No matter that TMX coasted through