Politics · Canada · 1 hr ago
Poilievre backs bill to repeal B.C.'s northern coast tanker ban
Pierre Poilievre is urging Mark Carney to end British Columbia’s northern coast tanker ban.
The federal Conservative leader and other opposition MPs sent Carney a letter as a Conservative bill to repeal the ban heads to second reading this week.
They argue the ban forces Canada to sell oil at a discount, benefiting U.S. refineries.
Calgary-based Strathcona Resources has proposed shipping up to 250,000 barrels of oil a day by rail through Prince Rupert and then across the Pacific.
That plan would require lifting the tanker ban, which Carney and then-B.C.
Premier David Eby agreed in July to maintain without changes.
The letter says the MPs would consider amendments that could allow the Prince Rupert project to proceed.
The bill and the letter put pressure on Ottawa to reconsider the ban, while the government’s next steps are not stated.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and other Opposition MPs have asked Prime Minister Mark Carney to repeal the oil tanker ban on British Columbia’s northern coast.
A federal Conservative bill to scrap the ban is due for second reading this week.
The MPs say the ban forces Canada to sell discounted oil to the United States and blocks a proposed oil-shipping project through Prince Rupert.
Carney and then-B.C. Premier David Eby agreed in July to maintain the ban without alteration, suspension or narrowing of scope.
- Who
- Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and other Opposition MPs have asked Prime Minister Mark Carney to act.
- What
- They want the northern B.C. oil tanker ban repealed, or amended to allow a proposed project to proceed.
- When
- The letter was reported on October 26, 2026. The bill is due for second reading this week.
- Where
- British Columbia’s northern coast, with the proposed shipping route through Prince Rupert.
- Why
- The MPs say the ban prevents Canada from exporting oil and costs the country billions by directing discounted oil to U.S. refineries.
Opposition MPs
Carney and the federal government’s position in the July agreement
Ban
Opposition MPs
The MPs want the ban repealed or amended to allow the Prince Rupert project to proceed.
Carney and the federal government’s position in the July agreement
The July agreement commits Ottawa to maintain the ban without alteration, suspension or narrowing of scope.
Carney and then-B.C. Premier David Eby signed an agreement that included a promise to maintain the northern coast tanker ban.
B.C.’s New Democrats lost the provincial election, and Lorne Doerkson’s Conservatives won about two-thirds of the legislature’s 93 seats.
The Globe and Mail reported that Poilievre and other Opposition MPs had asked Carney to repeal the ban.
The federal Conservative bill to scrap the ban is due for second reading.
- Proposed shipper
- Strathcona Resources
- Proposed volume
- Up to 250,000 barrels of Canadian oil a day
- Proposed route
- Existing railway tracks through Prince Rupert, B.C., then across the Pacific Ocean
- July agreement
- Ottawa promised to maintain the ban without alteration, suspension or narrowing of scope
- Alternative pipeline plan
- Alberta submitted a proposal for a southern route from Bruderheim, Alta., to an export terminal in Delta, B.C.
3 sources
What people are saying
effectively donates
an opportunity to build prosperity together