The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that the goal of the Alberta-to-Roberts Bank pipeline is not to move oil that Alberta is already producing. The Globe's Tony Keller writes it is to spur private investors to finance expanding output and produce more Canadian oil. That's the prize. The Carney government may not want to say it too loudly, given the sensitivities of some progressive voters, but most Canadians appear to be on board. That's because a pipeline to Roberts Bank, in addition to giving us some independence from the U.S. market, is likely to deliver long-term economic and fiscal benefits through higher investment in the oil sands, and the resulting higher oil output. The good news is that there are now several pipeline projects at various stages of development. Enbridge is working on the Mainline optimization, while South Bow has also put forward a sequel to Keystone XL, called Prairie Connector, and then there's the concept called Northern Shield, a plan for an west-to-east pipeline. Details on the Roberts Bank proposal have to be sweated, budgets have to be managed, costs have to be controlled. But on balance, the idea of taxpayers building a pipeline from Alberta to the Pacific makes sense.