On May 26, private member's Bill C-264 is set for debate in the House of Commons. The bill proposes a single action: the repeal of the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, passed in 2019. This concise piece of legislation aims to remove the federal government's ban on oil tankers off Canada's coasts.
While private member's bills rarely advance quickly, this one deserves serious consideration due to its significance for Canada's economy. The primary argument for repeal is that the ban lacked a legitimate rationale from the start. Oil tankers and large vessels have safely navigated northern British Columbia waters for decades, transporting oil to and from Alaska and points south.
A 2017 Fraser Institute study found no major oil spills from tankers in Canadian waters since the mid-1990s. A federal government study estimated that a major spill of over 10,000 tonnes would occur only once every 242 years, while smaller spills of 100 to 1,000 tonnes are expected once every 69.2 years. This safety record underscores that the ban was never truly about environmental protection.
Instead, the tanker ban was a strategic move to block pipelines, particularly the Trans Mountain Expansion project. Now, with a potential million-barrel-per-day pipeline from Alberta to B.C. under discussion, the ban stands as an obstacle. A Memorandum of Understanding signed in November by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith aims to export Canadian oil to Asia, breaking U.S. buyer dominance and diversifying trade.
Repealing the ban would remove a key barrier to investment in this new pipeline, allowing Canada to sell oil at world market prices. This would benefit Alberta and all of Canada, support trade diversification, and pose no increased environmental risk. Bill C-264 offers a win-win-win opportunity.
