Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announce a proposed pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Todd Korol - The Canadian PressOTTAWA — The federal government is advancing the process to designate a proposed oil pipeline to the West Coast as a "national interest" project. Naming a project in the national interest under the Building Canada Act allows the government to fast-track approvals and skirt some environmental laws. The proposed pipeline project has been referred already to the government's major projects office, with the Alberta government listed as the proponent. NDP Leader Avi Lewis called the pipeline project "corporate welfare on a surreal scale" and pointed out that it is not being backed primarily by the private sector.