British Columbia's jobs minister says ending a tanker ban to service a pipeline from Alberta to B.C.'s northern coast would put billions of dollars' worth of other projects at risk by defying the wishes of First Nations.

Ravi Kahlon says the province's NDP government also remains opposed to the pipeline project, while B.C. Liberal MPs said Wednesday the tanker ban on the northern B.C. coast can't change without provincial and First Nations consent.

It comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith are moving closer to reaching a deal on the future of Alberta's energy sector, according to a senior government official who spoke to CBC News, and it's likely to include some language about a path forward for the northwest B.C. oil pipeline that Smith has long demanded.

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