Liberal

WHEREAS in 1972 the Government of Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau imposed a moratorium prohibiting crude oil tanker transit through the coastal waters of BC;

WHEREAS this important initiative was subsequently extended to include offshore oil and gas drilling, and was respected by seven subsequent Prime Ministers;

WHEREAS the Conservative government under Stephen Harper has reversed this long standing policy through various actions and initiatives, as evidenced by a recent publication of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency issued with respect to the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline Project that states: “It is the Government of Canada’s position that there is presently no moratorium on tanker traffic in the coast waters of B.C.”;

WHEREAS the Northern Gateway Pipeline Project proposes a pipeline traversing Alberta and BC from Edmonton to Kitimat carrying an average of 525,000 barrels of oil a day to the Kitimat port facilities for loading onto oil tankers and trans-shipment through BC coastal waters;

WHEREAS there is continued industry pressure to expand the exploration and development of potential oil resources in offshore waters including the West Coast of British Columbia;

WHEREAS the Exxon Valdez incident and the recent tragic incident involving the offshore drilling rig “Deepwater Horizon” in the Gulf of Mexico underscores the major technical difficulties in containing offshore oil spills and the catastrophic effect such an oil spill occurring within BC coastal waters would have on the environment, ecology and livelihood of residents;

WHEREAS the expansion of offshore oil exploration and drilling and the bulk transportation of hydrocarbons is inconsistent with the province’s goals, and an international policy approach of reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, encouraging energy self-sufficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and poses unacceptable local safety and environmental risks;

BE IT RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada reconfirm and bring into law a moratorium prohibiting the international trans-shipment of oil by tanker through BC coastal waters and oil and gas drilling in coastal waters on the west coast of Canada, and concurrently establish an enforcement framework to ensure the efficacy of the moratorium;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada initiate a broad and meaningful public consultation including first nations and other stakeholders, preparatory to establishing environmental and industry criteria and standards designed to ensure the utmost protection for the BC coastline and coastal waters.

Liberal Party of Canada (British Columbia)