Hodgson says it’s ‘premature’ to draw conclusions about fate of B.C. tanker ban

OTTAWA — Federal Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said Thursday it’s “premature” to draw conclusions about the potential removal or adjustment of the West Coast tanker ban, since no pipeline route has been mapped out to bring oil from Alberta to the B.C. coast.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Hodgson said people are “jumping to conclusions” about changes to the ban after Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed a memorandum of understanding clearing a possible path for a new pipeline to the West Coast.

“I think it’s premature for people to have concluded things when there is no route yet, and there have been no conversations about that route at this point in time,” Hodgson said Thursday.

“What the MOU says is there will be a deepwater port with access to Asia. It does not say which port, on what part of the coast.”

Premier Smith asked the crowd at the United Conservative Party convention in Edmonton Friday if they felt more confident in Canada with the Ottawa pipeline deal in place. Her words were met with boos from the crowd.

The agreement commits Ottawa to enabling the export of oil through a deepsea port to Asian markets and adjusting the tanker ban to make that happen “if necessary.”

That commitment is contingent on the pipeline being approved as a project of national interest, and on the project providing “opportunities for Indigenous co-ownership and shared economic benefits.”

The deal drew swift criticism from the Coastal First Nations in B.C., who on Thursday said the tanker ban “is not up for negotiation” and they will “never tolerate any exemptions or carveouts.”

At a news conference Thursday, president of Coastal First Nations Marilyn Slett said she was contacted Wednesday about attending a meeting with the minister on Friday. She said it’s not logistically possible for her to travel from the small community of Bella Bella on the central coast on such short notice.

“Travel is not something that we can do on a whim. So it was not giving us enough time to consider the time frame of his meeting in Vancouver,” she said.

During an appearance on CBC’s “Power & Politics” Thursday, Hodgson suggested he could meet with Coastal First Nations by Zoom.

Hodgson issued an apology on social media early Friday evening for those comments.

“My comments last night about a virtual meeting with Coastal First Nations were a poor choice of words, which I regret. I have reached out to them directly to apologize and look forward to an in-person meeting at their convenience,” Hodgson wrote.

Hodgson went to B.C. Friday to meet with Premier David Eby, fresh off the signing of the memorandum of understanding.

On Thursday, Eby signalled B.C. would put up a fight if the federal government pursues changes to the tanker ban.

“I will always defend B.C.’s interests. And defending B.C.’s interests includes defending the oil tanker ban that has been there through multiple generations of politicians and political parties — for good reason,” Eby told reporters.

“An oil tanker spill would decimate a way of life for people in the northwest of our province.”

Officially called the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, the law prohibits tankers from carrying more than 12,500 metric tonnes of crude oil in areas along the northern coast of British Columbia.

Hodgson, who served on the board of a Canadian oil company, was pressed to state why a pipeline to the northern coast of B.C. is preferable to a pipeline to existing export facilities in Vancouver. Hodgson deferred to the Alberta government.

“Vancouver is a port on the West Coast that would have deepwater access to Asian markets,” Hodgson said, citing the language in the agreement.

“The proponent has to decide … there are multiple potential ports. I think they’re doing their work to figure out which is the right one. I can’t decide that for them.”

Eby said Friday that B.C. is anxious about plans to push a pipeline to the northern coast. He said the project is “many, many, many” years away from being realized under the best possible circumstances.

He said that it has already become an “energy empire” that “sucks up” resources at the expense of real projects, hurting the provincial and federal economy.

“The federal government needs to be extremely careful to make sure that their efforts with Alberta don’t put those projects at risk,” Eby said.

While the Trans Mountain pipeline already brings oil from Alberta to Vancouver, it isn’t the preferred route to supply Asian markets.

“If we’re selling energy products to Asia, (Prince Rupert) is your direct east-to-west. You’re not looking to go up the Hecate Strait, you’re not looking to go down to Vancouver Island,” said Matthew Holmes, chief of public policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

He said Vancouver and Prince Rupert are the only deepsea ports in B.C. to be able to safely handle the size of oil tanker needed to move product overseas.

“We’re kind of tying one arm behind our back by not having the capacity to go to the Port of Prince Rupert.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 28, 2025.

— With files from Wolfgang Depner in Victoria