British Columbia Premier David Eby, alongside leaders of coastal First Nations, signed a declaration on Wednesday urging the federal government to maintain its longstanding ban on oil tankers along the province’s north coast. The move directly challenges Alberta’s bid to build a new oil pipeline to northern B.C. ports—an effort that would require the ban to be lifted.

At a press conference attended by First Nations leaders, Eby stressed the importance of preserving the “fragile consensus” that has enabled the province to develop a multibillion-dollar liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry while avoiding the risks of crude oil tanker transport.

Gaagwiis (Jason Alsop), president of the Haida Nation, emphasized the heavy responsibility coastal communities already shoulder. “We’re already accommodating this global trade and this global economy and bearing a lot of those risks already,” he said, noting the growing number of LNG tankers off Haida Gwaii’s extensive coastline.

The B.C. government has repeatedly called on the federal government to reject Alberta’s request to lift the tanker ban, yet federal leaders have not provided a definitive answer.

Coastal First Nations, a coalition representing nine First Nations along the Pacific coast, are backing Eby’s push. Heiltsuk Chief Marilyn Slett, president of the coalition, affirmed the united opposition to oil tanker traffic while acknowledging ongoing monitoring of LNG-related marine activity.

The announcement comes after LNG Canada marked the completion of Phase 1, the single largest private investment in Canadian history. Two additional LNG projects are already under construction, and a fourth, Ksi Lisims LNG, recently received its environmental approval, though not without opposition from within the Indigenous community.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith intends to challenge the moratorium as part of a broader effort to build a pipeline transporting Alberta oil to the B.C. coast. She has labelled the tanker ban as one of “nine bad laws” standing in the way.

Eby countered that the proposed pipeline’s economic benefits do not outweigh the environmental risks. “One crude oil spill would destroy billions of dollars in economic activity... and there is no technology, no ability to clean up that spill,” he warned.

Despite opposing the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, Eby has supported a proposal to dredge waterways near Vancouver to increase tanker capacity for oil shipments from the existing pipeline. He called it a strategic move in the context of shifting global trade patterns, emphasizing the need for government and Indigenous leaders to collaborate in minimizing coastal harms.