Prime Minister Mark Carney voted Wednesday to keep the Trudeau-era ban on oil tankers in place, effectively killing the Conservative proposal to expand Canadian oil exports to Asia. Simultaneously, Carney still maintains that he intends to make Canada an energy superpower.
Conservative MP David McKenzie’s Bill C-264 was defeated 191 to 132 at second reading, with 167 Liberals, 19 Bloc Québécois, 4 New Democrats, and 1 Green voting against it, while 132 Conservatives voted in favour of repeal.
Losing the Second Reading means the bill is effectively dead in the House, and the existing tanker restrictions remain in place.
The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act (Bill C-48 in 2019) prohibits tankers carrying more than 12,500 metric tonnes of crude oil or certain petroleum products from loading or unloading at designated northern B.C. ports.
Repealing the law would remove a major federal barrier to northern B.C. oil exports, though proposed terminals and shipping would still need regulatory approval.
“At a time when Canada needs to diversify our trade, this decision keeps a barrier to overseas energy markets firmly in place and leaves us dependent on American buyers,” McKenzie wrote.
