The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that the vast majority of pipelines that Canada has agonized over have one commonality: non-existence. The Globe's Jeffrey Jones writes that as a country, we argue incessantly, not about pipelines but about pipeline ideas. Some Canadians now wonder if the country's energy industry and political leaders have the wherewithal to deal with environmental concerns, live up to constitutional requirements and offer a strong enough economic case to actually build one of the many multibillion-dollar proposals that have been studied for so long. Enbridge's Northern Gateway line to the Pacific became a flashpoint after another line run by the company gushed heavy oil into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, prompting a cleanup that cost more than $1.2-billion. Over the past 20 months alone, non-existent pipelines have cost more than $3.8-billion. Enbridge struggled to sign up B.C. first nations, despite a conditional green light from the NEB and the federal cabinet. In the end, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave it a thumbs-down, saying the northern coast was no place for oil tankers. In Canada, life is what happens to you when you are busy debating pipelines.