A member of Premier John Horgan’s cabinet think it is okay for Indigenous groups to invest in the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion even if he’s against the project himself.

At least three different groups are seriously looking at buying part or all of the pipeline project that is currently under construction.

Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Murray Rankin, was on the NL Morning News and said even though he’s been against it since day one, all of the groups can invest their money wherever they want.

“Some Indigenous people think that it’s a good investment and of course they have every right to be part of the economy if they wish to make that investment. A lot of of others, of course, are bitterly opposed to that project,” he said.

“What do I say about the Indigenous leaders that may wish to purchase that? I think it’s a free economy and they can make their investment decisions as they see fit.”

Politics aside, the MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head on Vancouver Island, isn’t hiding his opposition to the pipeline expansion.

“I don’t mind saying personally I’ve had difficulty. I was the member of Parliament for Victoria and we don’t call it the pipeline project, we call it the pipeline and tanker project because, out here, that’s another part of the puzzle as you well know and a lot of us are very concerned about the impact that would have,” Rankin said.

Rankin seems resigned to the polarizing project being built and feels it is time to move on.

“But, nevertheless, it’s going forward. The project has received all of the approvals and I think we have to turn the page.”

The expansion project is twinning the existing 1,150-kilometre pipeline between Edmonton and Burnaby, which would triple the capacity from approximately 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000 barrels per day.

The project is still on budget and on schedule to be completed by the end of 2022.