What is the B.C. oil tanker ban, and could it change under pipeline deal?

The Alberta deal includes a commitment from Ottawa to 'enable the export of bitumen ... including if necessary through an appropriate adjustment to the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.'

The future of the oil tanker ban in northern B.C. waters is now in question after the federal and Alberta governments signed an energy agreement Thursday that sets the stage for a pipeline to the West Coast.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) includes a commitment from Ottawa to “enable the export of bitumen from a strategic deep-water port to Asian markets, including if necessary through an appropriate adjustment to the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.”

Alberta and federal Conservatives have long argued the 2019 federal law prevents the building of new pipelines and therefore constrains the oil and gas industry, and have called for the federal government to repeal it.

The B.C. government and Coastal First Nations, however, are vowing to do everything in their power to keep the tanker ban in place, citing the “catastrophic” impact a future oil spill could have in the region.

Canada’s Energy Minister Tim Hodgson told Global News the MoU does not guarantee changes to the tanker ban, or that a future pipeline will go to northern B.C.

“There is no route today,” he said. “Under the MoU, what (Alberta) would need to do is work with the affected jurisdiction — British Columbia — and work with affected First Nations for that project to move forward. That’s what the work plan in the MoU calls for.”

Here’s what you need to know about the oil tanker ban, and what changing or repealing it would mean for Canada.

Bill C-48 — the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act — was first introduced by the Liberal government in 2017, and became law two years later after a protracted battle in the House of Commons and Senate and opposition from Alberta and the oil industry.