B.C. Premier David Eby joined leaders from coastal First Nations on Wednesday in calling on the federal government to maintain Canada’s oil tanker moratorium in northern British Columbia waters — a protection they say is vital for both the environment and Indigenous sovereignty.
Standing alongside representatives from Heiltsuk, Coastal First Nations, and other communities, Eby signed the North Coast Protection Declaration during the 10th B.C. Cabinet and First Nations Leaders’ Gathering in Vancouver.
The declaration comes amid Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s push for a new private-sector pipeline that would ship crude oil to B.C.’s northern coast for export to Asia — a plan critics say could dismantle decades of environmental safeguards.
“Any spill of crude oil would destroy billions in economic activity and cause irreversible ecological damage,” said Eby. “Lifting the ban makes absolutely no sense.”
Protecting livelihoods and ecosystems
The declaration highlights how northern B.C.’s environment underpins a “sustainable conservation economy” supporting thousands of jobs in fisheries, tourism, renewable energy, and stewardship.
Marilyn Slett, president of the Coastal First Nations and chief councillor of Heiltsuk First Nation, said protecting the waters is essential for future generations.
“It remains one of the richest and most productive ecoregions on Earth,” she said. “We want to continue to live our way of life connected to a healthy, intact ocean.”
Since 1985, a voluntary exclusion zone has restricted oil tanker traffic in the region. The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, enacted in 2019, legally prohibits tankers carrying over 12,500 metric tons of crude or persistent oil from loading or unloading in northern B.C. waters.
Federal review and provincial tension
Concerns over the ban’s future grew after Ottawa introduced the Building Canada Act, which allows the government to fast-track major national-interest projects — even bypassing some existing laws. Alberta has been pressing for the tanker ban’s repeal as part of its pipeline proposal.
Eby cautioned against what he called “wedge politics” from Alberta, saying the issue transcends provincial boundaries.
“We can’t allow a small minority to define the national conversation about what is a uniquely Canadian economy,” he said. “This is a reaffirmation of 50 years of coastal consensus.”
Some Indigenous leaders, such as Chief Trevor Makadahay of Doig River First Nation, have expressed openness to a new pipeline if it respects environmental safeguards and treaty rights.
Meanwhile, Ellis Ross, MP for Skeena–Bulkley Valley, noted that any pipeline proposal would still require formal First Nations consultation under federal processes like the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada.
Eby reiterated that no formal pipeline proposal or route currently exists, while Alberta’s premier’s office said it acknowledges B.C.’s concerns but expects Ottawa to back the project “to unlock Alberta’s most valuable economic asset.”
The declaration, Eby emphasized, is ultimately about protecting the North Coast’s fragile ecosystems — not opposing economic development, but ensuring it happens “on terms that protect the future.”
