An Act to repeal certain restrictions on shipping

Bill C-264 is a short, narrow bill with a single purpose: it repeals the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act entirely.

The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, passed in 2019, banned large oil tankers carrying crude oil or persistent oils from stopping, loading, or unloading at ports and marine terminals along British Columbia's northern coast. This law was meant to protect that coastline's waters and marine environment from the risks of oil spills.

If Bill C-264 passes, that ban would be completely removed. Oil tankers would no longer be legally restricted from using those northern B.C. ports and terminals to load or unload crude oil or persistent oils. The bill does not replace the moratorium with any new rules or conditions — it simply eliminates the existing restriction, returning the area to whatever general shipping and environmental regulations apply elsewhere in Canada.

This bill repeals the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, removing the legal ban on large oil tankers stopping at ports along British Columbia's northern coast.

• What becomes possible — oil tankers carrying crude or persistent oil as cargo would be permitted to load and unload at ports and marine installations along the northern British Columbia coast, an activity the repealed Act had prohibited.
• Who is affected — companies operating oil tankers, port and terminal operators, and any business seeking to ship crude oil through the previously restricted coastal area.
• No replacement regime — the bill does not create a new licensing, permitting, or regulatory scheme to govern tanker traffic in the area; it simply removes the existing prohibition.
• No new body or discretionary power — the text creates no office, minister's power, or agency role; it consists solely of a one-line repeal.
• Oversight — the bill contains no reporting requirement, review clause, or sunset provision; once repealed, the moratorium's restrictions would not automatically be revisited.