Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Coastal First Nations Urge Carney to Block New West Coast Oil Pipeline

Indigenous chiefs demand strict enforcement of the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act following federal efforts to fast-track approvals for tanker shipments tied to proposed pipelines.

Workers lay pipe during construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion on farmland, in Abbotsford, B.C., on Wednesday, May 3, 2025.
Image

Overview

  • The Coastal First Nations–Great Bear Initiative sent Prime Minister Mark Carney an open letter on July 22 rejecting any new crude pipeline to the northwest B.C. coast as a “non-starter.”
  • Leaders insisted that the 2019 Oil Tanker Moratorium Act remain in force, barring vessels carrying over 12,500 metric tons of crude from north coast ports.
  • The moratorium formalizes more than 50 years of protections for ecosystems such as the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii against spill risks.
  • The letter follows Carney’s recent meeting with hundreds of First Nations chiefs, where fast-track provisions in the Building Canada Act met widespread resistance.
  • Alberta Premier Danielle Smith continues to press for a privately financed pipeline to export crude to Asia, contingent on streamlined regulatory reforms and carbon capture guarantees.