The federal opposition parties banded together Tuesday in favour of an NDP motion calling for a ban on oil tanker traffic off of B.C.'s north coast, which could have dire implications for Enbridge's proposed $5.5-billion oil pipeline through northern B.C.
The motion, which passed 143-138 in the House of Commons, is not binding and is expected to be ignored by the Conservative government.
Nevertheless, northern B.C. NDP MLA Nathan Cullen, who put forward the motion, celebrated the vote as a huge milestone.
"This is absolutely one more marker along the path to defending the Northwest against the threat to our environment and way of life," said Cullen.
Prince George-Cariboo Conservative MP Dick Harris said he believes Cullen's sole intent is to stop the Enbridge pipeline project, which is being driven by a sky-is-falling approach. "Their mantra is, there could be an oil spill. Well, the world could end tomorrow, but it's not likely," stated Harris, who supports the Enbridge pipeline project.
If there was a ban on oil tanker traffic, it would put an end to Calgary-based Enbridge's prospects on its proposed $5.5-billion oil pipeline. The 1,170-kilometre pipeline, which would pass just north of Prince George, is meant to open up new markets in Asia for crude from Alberta oilsands and relies on tankers that would dock at the port of Kitimat.
The New Democrats and their supporters have argued there has been a moratorium on oil tanker traffic of B.C inside waters for decades.
However the Conservative government led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper has maintained there is no formal ban on oil tanker traffic off B.C.'s coast and therefore oil tankers can, and do, travel the province's inside waters.
The tanker ban vote was supported by all the opposition parties, including the Liberals.
Cullen said they will wait to see how the Conservatives respond to the vote, but only for a few weeks.
If the Conservatives decide not to enact a tanker ban, Cullen expects that a growing coalition of First Nations, environmental groups, communities and business groups, including tourism and fisheries, will ramp up their opposition campaigns.
Cullen said he also expects there will be consequences for Conservative MPs in the next election who do not support the tanker ban.
Harris said the Conservative government has not decided how it will respond to the House of Commons vote. But he said northern B.C. has to take advantage of the economic benefits of the project, which would also be beneficial to Canada by opening up secondary markets to the U.S.
Virtually all of the oil from the Alberta oil sands is destined for the United States.
Enbridge spokesperson Gina Jordan said the company is deeply concerned that there has been a rush to judgment on the project while it's just beginning a "rigorous" regulatory review led by two federal agencies, the National Energy Board and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. (Critics note that only in very rare cases does a federal regulatory review say no to a project.)
Jordan also stressed that while Enbridge realizes there will be opponents to the project, it also has supporters.
Jordan said the project can be built and operated safely, noting that 1,500 ships have traversed the Douglas channel to Kitimat in the past 25 years. She could not say immediately what size the ships were, or whether any of them were oil tankers.
