SENATORS' AMENDMENTS TO OIL TANKER BAN

  Independent and Conservative Senators are working on amendments to the government’s controversial bill to ban oil tankers from ports along most of the B.C. coast, despite Transport Minister Marc Garneau’s signal to the Senate in May that the government didn’t want to compromise on the core elements of the bill.

    Both the Independents, some of whom are collaborating on their proposed amendments, and Sen. Patterson—the Conservative critic for the bill—were working on amendments to carve out a “corridor” for oil tankers to travel through the banned area of the coastal waters to one or more ports along the coast. Mr. Garneau (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount, Que.) had rejected that idea during testimony before the Senate Transport Committee last month, arguing that any oil spilled in the corridor could spread through the water to other coastal areas, undermining the purpose of the bill.
   Sen. Pratte said the Independents were examining more than one option for tanker corridors that could be tacked onto the bill, including creating one at the northernmost tip of B.C. He said they were also considering amendments that would add a three or five year sunset clause after which the ban would expire, since the government has sold the bill as a temporary “moratorium” despite the fact that, as currently written, it would make the ban permanent.