Canadian Conservatives propose repealing B.C. oil tanker ban

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and several Opposition MPs have called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to repeal the oil tanker ban on British Columbia’s northern coast. The move comes as a federal Conservative bill to scrap the ban moves to its second reading.

Opposition members argue the current ban “effectively donates” billions of dollars to the United States by forcing Canada to sell discounted oil that ultimately profits American refineries. They cited a proposal from Calgary-based Strathcona Resources to ship up to 250,000 barrels of Canadian oil daily via existing railroad tracks through Prince Rupert, B.C., to the Pacific Ocean.

The proposal requires the lifting of the ban, which was part of an agreement signed in July by Carney and then-B.C. Premier David Eby. That agreement included a federal promise to maintain the north coast tanker ban “without alteration, suspension, or narrowing”.