Bill C-264 defeated at second reading in the House of Commons

Ottawa, ON – Today, Liberal MPs voted down a bill to repeal the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, better known as C-48: a move Conservatives say will hurt Canada’s energy exports and increase reliance on American markets.

On Monday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney asking for the Liberals’ support in ending their Northern BC tanker ban, pointing to a Strathcona Resources proposal that would ship up to 250,000 barrels of oil per day from Prince Rupert, BC.

“While Conservatives support a full repeal of the tanker ban, we were ready to work with the government to amend this legislation at committee if it could help this project through,” said Carol Anstey, Conservative Shadow Minister for Energy and Natural Resources. “Instead the Prime Minister and his Liberal caucus chose to stand in the way of development once again.”

Mr. Carney had previously doubled down on the ban, despite the fact that it takes approximately three fewer days round-trip to reach Asia from Northern BC than it does from further south.

“This is an unforced Liberal error that continues to hurt Canadian businesses and deepens our dependence on the United States,” added David McKenzie, Conservative Member of Parliament for Calgary Signal Hill, who introduced C-264 as a Private Member’s Bill. “We are proud to have put forward solutions and fought for Canadian workers.”

Earlier this week, both the Alberta and Saskatchewan governments came out in favour of the Conservative bill, citing the need to remove barriers and create new opportunities for their provinces.

“Ending this failed Liberal policy would have helped open the West Coast to nation-building projects and the prosperity they bring,” concluded Shannon Stubbs, Conservative Shadow Minister of Infrastructure. “Conservatives will always fight to get Canadians working together to bring good-paying jobs and save money for our people.”