WATCH: Carney warns feds will 'spend more time elsewhere' if pipeline talks 'stalled' by BC

VANCOUVER — Prime Minister has warned that the federal government will be
"spending more time elsewhere" if pipeline talks are "stalled" by British Columbia.

The comments came just minutes before he met with Premier David Eby, who has been unwavering in his opposition to such a project coming to the west coast.

During an event hosted by the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade on Wednesday, GVBOT President and CEO Bridgitte Anderson asked Carney how he plans to "navigate the complexities" of negotiating in BC.

"You show up," he replied. "You show up with Coastal First Nations, ... you sit down and talk regularly with the premier."

Carney went on to note that while it's important to "adjust to what people want," at the end of the day, Ottawa has limited time to spend in one particular province on one particular project.

"Look, we're the federal government," he said. "It's a big country, there's lots of things going on. Life's about time management, but ... if things get stalled here we're gonna be spending more time elsewhere in the country because we need to move forward We need to invest at scale in the country.”

Carney emphasized that being open to discussion is integral to Canada's success, and that from coast to coast, people expect all levels of government to "be sitting down, doing positive things, and moving forward."

During his opening remarks, Carney provided an update on the pipeline, noting that it can only move forward if a number of "prerequisites" are met.

First and foremost is the building of the Oil Sands Alliance, formerly known as Pathways.

"This is the world's largest carbon capture utilization storage project," he said. "It will make Alberta oil among the lowest carbon intensity per barrel produced."

Second and third are the assurances that British Columbians will "share substantial economic and financial benefits" from the project and that consultation with First Nations is undertaken as outlined in Section 35.

Earlier in the morning, Carney suggested there's been too much time spent opposing things rather than finding common ground and working towards solutions.

“We don’t wanna hear what people are against — we wanna hear what they’re for," he said.

Following the event, Carney headed down to Canada Place to meet with Eby. An hour later, he was on his way again.

No details of the meeting were shared, nor was a media scrum held afterwards by either leader.