Oil Tanker Moratorium Act

The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act (French: Loi sur le moratoire relatif aux pétroliers), sometimes referred to as the West Coast Oil Tanker Moratorium Act,^[11] introduced and commonly referred to as Bill C-48, is an act of the Parliament of Canada and was passed by the 42nd Canadian Parliament in 2019.^[12] The Act was introduced as Bill C-48.^[13]

Oil Tanker Moratorium Act
Parliament of Canada
Long title An Act respecting the regulation of vessels that transport crude oil or persistent oil to or from ports or marine installations located along British Columbia’s north coast
Citation	Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, S.C. 2019, c. 26
Passed by	House of Commons of Canada
Passed	May 8, 2018[1]
Passed by	Senate of Canada
Passed	June 13, 2019[2]
Royal assent	June 21, 2019[3]
Commenced	June 21, 2019[a]
Legislative history
First chamber: House of Commons of Canada
Bill title	C-48
Introduced by	Marc Garneau
First reading	May 12, 2017[5]
Second reading	October 4, 2017[6]
Third reading	May 8, 2018[7]
Committee report	November 29, 2017
Second chamber: Senate of Canada
Bill title	C-48
Member(s) in charge	Mobina Jaffer
First reading	May 9, 2018[8]
Second reading	December 11, 2018[9]
Third reading	June 13, 2019[10]
Committee report	June 3, 2019
Related legislation
Impact Assessment Act and Canadian Energy Regulator Act (Bill C-69)
Status: In force

Provisions

The act bans oil tankers carrying "more than 12,500 tons of crude oil or persistent oil" as cargo from stopping off the coast of British Columbia's north coast, from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the border with Alaska.^[14]

The act led to the cancellation of the Eagle Spirit Pipeline.^[11]

The act also establishes an "administration and enforcement regime" which includes requirements to provide information and to follow directions and that provides for fines up to CA$5,000,000.^[15]

Further developments

In the 2025 federal election, the Conservative Party pledged to repeal the act.^[16]

Notes

1. The Act is silent as to its commencement date. The default rule for Canadian Acts of Parliament is that when an Act is silent it comes into force on the day it received Royal Assent.^[4]