A Manitoba senator says a proposal by Alberta's United Conservatives to pick up the legal tabs of pro-pipeline First Nations is an example of age-old ``divide-and-conquer'' tactics.

The president of the company proposing the $16-billion Eagle Spirit Pipeline says his project could win regulatory approval if the federal government backs down on its plan to ban oil tanker traffic on the north coast of B.C.

Calvin Helin, president of Eagle Spirit Energy Corporation, speaks about the company's ongoing commitment to build an energy corridor between Fort McMurray Alberta and the west coast.