Kyle Duggan and Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press

SASKATOON — British Columbia is pushing back against Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's proposal for a bitumen pipeline to B.C.'s northern coast.

It's expected to be a focus of Prime Minister Mark Carney's meeting with premiers in Saskatoon Monday, where the assembled leaders are discussing a draft list of "national interest" projects to be fast-tracked through the approval process.

Smith said any list that doesn't include new pipelines would send a bad message to Alberta as separatist sentiment flares up in that province.

Smith said she wants to see a bitumen pipeline built to ship oil to the Port of Prince Rupert on B.C.'s northern coast.

B.C. deputy premier Niki Sharma pointed out Monday that Smith's pipeline proposal has "no proponent at this stage" and said her province is pursuing "shovel-ready" projects.

"Although we have differences of opinion with respect to that, we're focused on where we can find alignment," Sharma said on her way into Monday's meeting.

"We're going to be focused on shovel-ready projects in B.C. that we can bring forward and we know will have a really solid impact on the economy."

B.C. Premier David Eby is not at the meeting. He is in Asia for a preplanned trade mission.

Smith said that nine federal policies, including the oil and gas emissions cap and the tanker ban on B.C.'s northern coast, discourage companies from proposing pipeline projects in Canada. She wants the Carney government to eliminate those polices.

"The problem is unless we address the nine terrible policies that have damaged investor confidence, we're not going to get the proponents coming forward with major investments," she said.

Carney vowed during the election campaign to slash federal approval times on major infrastructure projects in the "national interest" to help make the country an "energy superpower" as the country adjusts to ever-changing tariffs imposed by the U.S.

Legislation to make that infrastructure push a reality is expected to be introduced in the House of Commons as early as this week.

"We're in the process of redefining our relationship with the United States," Carney said at the beginning of Monday's meeting.

"That's what this meeting is about, building a stronger Canadian economy, a one Canadian economy."

The prime minister and the premiers are keeping the full list of big projects under discussion a secret because they don't want to send negative signals about anything that doesn't make the short list.

On his way into the meeting Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the idea of a pipeline to B.C.'s northern coast would be discussed.

"Hopefully we can get it out west, so we can get to the Asian market, but we have to get it north and we have to get it east as well," Ford said.

Ford said it's "absolutely critical" that Canada expand its export markets.

The Ring of Fire mining project in northern Ontario is among Ford's main priorities heading into the meeting.

The first ministers are also expected to discuss breaking down interprovincial trade barriers, which would make it easier to purchase Canadian-made goods from other provinces and territories.

Many provinces, including Quebec and Ontario, are coming to the table with legislation that would eliminate some of these longstanding obstacles to internal trade.

— With files from Rob Drinkwater in Edmonton

(C) The Canadian Press