Cheam First Nation in British Columbia has filed a court case against the Canadian government's decision to fast-track the regulatory review process for the proposed Pacific Link crude oil pipeline, escalating a dispute over Indigenous consultation just weeks after Prime Minister Mark Carney designated the project as being in the national interest.

The First Nation asked Canada's Federal Court on Friday, October 30, 2026, to set aside the October 1 designation, which enables the proposed one-million-barrel-a-day pipeline to proceed through a faster, single federal regulatory review process.

Cheam alleges the government did not provide sufficient information about the project to assess its impact on the nation's rights before Ottawa made the decision, and that consultations were constitutionally inadequate.

The pipeline is a central plank of Carney's effort to diversify Canada's economy amid pressure from US President Donald Trump's tariffs. Government-owned Trans Mountain Corp would build the pipeline in coordination with Pembina Pipeline Corp. Carney said in October that the federal government aims to complete the regulatory process by September 1, 2027.

Carney has said there will be "extensive" consultations with Indigenous groups on the proposal, and that Indigenous communities along the pipeline route will be offered a minimum 10 per cent equity stake in the project.

The legal challenge underscores the tension between the government's push to accelerate energy infrastructure approvals and the constitutional duty to consult Indigenous peoples whose rights may be affected. The Federal Court's decision on whether to set aside the designation could determine whether the pipeline proceeds on the government's accelerated timeline or faces a longer, more contested review.