Conservatives push bill to repeal British Columbia's northern coast tanker ban

Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party, joined several opposition MPs in a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney requesting the cancellation of the oil-tanker ban on British Columbia’s northern shoreline. The ban was reaffirmed in a July pact signed by Carney and former premier David Eby, promising no changes to the restriction. The opposition argues the ban effectively redirects billions of dollars of oil revenue to the United States by compelling discounted sales to American refineries.

They point to a proposal from Calgary-based Strathcona Resources to ship up to 250,000 barrels per day on existing rail lines to Prince Rupert and then across the Pacific, a plan that hinges on lifting the ban. The letter states the federal government is the sole obstacle and expresses openness to limited amendments that would allow the Prince Rupert project to proceed. Meanwhile, the New Democratic Party lost the recent B.C. election, and provincial Conservatives under Lorne Doerkson secured a two-thirds majority in the legislature.