Canada asked a federal court in Michigan to suspend proceedings involving a dispute between the state and Alberta-based Enbridge, owner of a dual natural gas and oil pipeline system operating under the Straits of Mackinac, after invoking a 1977 treaty with the U.S. to negotiate the disagreement stemming from the state’s demand that the line be shut down.
In a letter to U.S. District Court Judge Janet Neff, Canadian Counsel Gordon Giffin said the formal request invoking the treaty was presented to the U.S. through diplomatic channels and is a formal request for negotiations under the terms of the treaty.