Historic Tanker Ban Faces Potential Amendment Under New Deal
A landmark agreement between the federal government and Alberta has created a potential pathway to amend Canada's long-standing moratorium on oil tanker traffic off British Columbia's North Coast. The deal, signed by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, could eventually allow for the export of Alberta bitumen to Asian markets through a deep-water port in the region.
The moratorium, which has been in effect since the 1970s, was formally enacted into law in 2019 as the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act. This legislation has been a significant obstacle for new oil pipeline proposals seeking access to the Pacific coast from Alberta's oil sands.
The Political and Environmental Battle Over Coastal Protection
The announcement was met with immediate opposition from British Columbia Premier David Eby, Coastal First Nations, and various coastal communities. These groups have long viewed the tanker ban as essential protection for the North Coast's maritime economy, which relies heavily on fishing and tourism.
Eugene Kung, a staff lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law, emphasized that the moratorium was not conceived as a barrier to Alberta oil but as a protective measure for the coastal environment and economy.
Origins and Evolution of the North Coast Tanker Ban
The moratorium's history dates back to 1971, when Esquimalt-Saanich Liberal MP David Anderson led the initiative. His primary concern was tanker traffic from the Alaska oil pipeline's marine terminal in Valdez. Anderson sought to keep these vessels away from the sensitive ecosystem of the Inside Passage, routing them instead to the open ocean west of Vancouver Island.
In a 2015 opinion piece, Anderson noted that the moratorium, first implemented by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, also halted offshore oil exploration along the B.C. coast. The policy was formally legislated in 2019 by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, following the collapse of Enbridge's proposed Northern Gateway pipeline project.
The current agreement stipulates that if an Alberta bitumen pipeline receives approval, Canada "will enable the export of bitumen from a strategic deep water port to Asian markets, including, if necessary, through an appropriate adjustment to the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act." Any proposal would need to clear significant regulatory and environmental hurdles before the moratorium could be amended.
