TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and the premier of Canada’s oil rich province of Alberta agreed Thursday to work toward building a pipeline to the Pacific Coast to diversify the country’s oil exports beyond the United States, in a move that has caused turmoil in Carney’s inner circle.

The memorandum of understanding includes an adjustment of an oil tanker ban off parts of the British Columbia coast if a pipeline comes to fruition.

Carney’s support for it led to the resignation of one of his cabinet ministers, an official familiar with the matter said. Steven Guilbeault, a former environment minister and career environmentalist who has been serving as the minister of culture, resigned Thursday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Guilbeault’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Carney has set a goal for Canada to double its non-U.S. exports in the next decade, saying American tariffs are causing a chill in investment.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the agreement will lead to more than 1 million barrels per day for mainly Asian markets so “our province and our country are no longer dependent on just one customer to buy our most valuable resource.”

Carney reiterated that as the U.S. transforms all of its trading relationships, many of Canada’s strengths – based on those close ties to America – have become its vulnerabilities.

“Over 95% of all our energy exports went to the States. This tight interdependence – once a strength – is now a weakness,” Carney said.

Carney said a pipeline can reduce the price discount on current oil sales to U.S. markets. He called the framework agreement the start of a process.

“We have created some of the necessary conditions for this to happen but there is a lot more work to do,” he said.

Carney said if there is not a private sector proponent there won’t be a pipeline.