CPAWS-BC stands with Coastal First Nations

Tail of a humpback whale coming out of the water.

Coasts and Ocean | Government and Policy | Indigenous-led Conservation

CPAWS-BC | November 26, 2025

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia stands with First Nations leaders, scientists, and the provincial government against a tanker ban exemption for a northwest coast pipeline.

November 26, 2025, Lands and waters of the Coast Salish Peoples/Vancouver, BC – The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC) supports Coastal First Nations in their denouncement of a reported Memorandum of Understanding between the federal government and Alberta to build a new pipeline and provide exemptions from the project from the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.

The Pacific north coast is a vital marine ecosystem, rich in biodiversity and of deep cultural and economic significance. Indigenous Nations have stewarded these waters since time immemorial, helping to safeguard an ocean that teems with life and sustains the livelihoods and well-being of coastal communities.

“This move is another signal that the federal government is no longer committed to protecting nature, which is a core value not just in British Columbia but across the country,” says Sarah McNeil, CPAWS-BC Executive Director. “The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act was introduced as part of Canada’s Ocean Protection Plan, and is absolutely necessary to safeguard the north Pacific from potential disaster. Poking holes in the tanker ban would recklessly expose coastal communities, food systems and fisheries, and ecosystems to catastrophic risk. An oil spill, even once, would cause harm no cleanup plan, financial guarantee or regulatory oversight could repair.”

Earlier this month, Coastal First Nations and the Province of British Columbia reaffirmed their shared vision through the North Coast Protection Declaration, committing to safeguard the coast. This declaration recognizes what the Great Bear Rainforest and Great Bear Sea agreements have already proven: conservation doesn’t hinder the economy, it builds economies. British Columbians expect the same principled leadership from Ottawa.

>>> Read the full article on CPAWS-BC’s website.