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| Monday, Skeena Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach provided for some points of opposition to a bill from the Conservatives to overturn the Oil Tanker Moratorium on the North Coast |
A move by the Conservative Party to overturn the Tanker Ban on the West Coast is getting some push back from Taylor Bachrach, with the Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP speaking out against the Tory motion on Monday.
As part of his time in the House of Commons yesterday the MP expressed his opposition to the private members bill introduced earlier this year by Edmonton area MP Jim Cumming, a proposal which had stalled when the Prime Minister prorogued Parliament this summer.
The Conservative member's quest to reverse the ban has been reintroduced with the return of Parliament, with the Edmonton MP picking up on his work this week, setting the stage for a potential return to the discussion on oil tankers off the coast for for MP's this fall.
In his comments of Monday, Mr. Bacharch reminded the Parliamentarians of the sinking of the Nathan E Stewart in October of 2016 and the impact that the loss of the diesel fuel from the marine incident had on the Heiltsuk Nation of the Central Coast.
The Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP also recounted the past hearings of the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline project hearings and how those proceedings served to unite a large segment of the Northwest, as well as the string of local governments across the Northwest that joined with formal resolutions of opposition to that project.
As for the bill under consideration, the MP noted that the Conservative bill has but one focus that of over turning the the Oil Tanker moratorium and offers no other measures to address the concerns of residents of the region directly affected.
"Indeed, it's striking that this bill comprises only a single clause which repeals the oil tanker moratorium wholly and replaces it with ... wait for it ... absolutely nothing. It offers no alternative measures to protect the North Coast. It does nothing to consider the views of the Indigenous people and the communities in the area that is most affected, it is no more than a blunt ideological Conservative rebuke that would tear up almost five decades of consensus building in the region I represent" -- Taylor Bachrach speaking the House of Commons on Monday on a bill by the Conservatives to remove the oil tanker moratorium
Towards reminding the Conservatives of the long history of protest over the prospect of tankers taking oil from terminals on the North Coast, the MP recounted the past work of past MP's Frank Howard and Nathan Cullen; as well as the strong level of support towards the oil tanker moratorium that has been delivered by many of the areas residents over the decades.
"Today I'm so honoured to stand on the shoulders of these former Members for Skeena, generations of Northwest British Columbians and Indigenous leaders from across our region and voice strong opposition to the Bill before us which would do away with so much that we have worked for. For the people of the Northwest this issue has been settled for decades, I'm looking to my colleagues in the House to recognize that fact once again and vote agains this bill. Mr. Speaker, it will not come to pass"
The MP's office has posted a video of his Monday comments the House of Commons to Mr. Bachrach's Facebook page.
It should be noted that Private members bills rarely find much traction in Parliament, and it seems unlikely that the Conservative quest to overturn the tanker moratorium will find success with this attempt.
The less than stellar prospects for Mr. Cumming can be considered with a quick look at the current make up of the minority government of the day.
One which features a House of Commons chamber of Liberals the original authors of the Oil Tanker law, as well as the NDP and Green parties who both clearly will vote it down.
You can follow the progress of the Private members bill here.
More notes on the work of MP Bachrach can be reviewed from our archive page here.
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