Construction has already started - lots to be done before pipe goes in the ground. The longest lead time thing is digging a tunnel under Burnaby mountain and they are doing site work for the right now. The federal government's job at this point is as the regulator - what do you propose they do? They can only respond to when there are actually problems and TMX applies and says it needs something, like it did when it permitted the project to go ahead without city permits, not just musings about future actions. The courts granted an injunction to stop protesters from getting too close for safety reasons.
I am 100% confident this will go forward. If the project does not due to provincial actions, stepping clearly on federal jurisdiction, basically there is no point in Canada being a country anymore. Canada will enter the worst unity crisis we have ever seen.