Senate committee votes down Bill C-48, recommends feds scrap bill

The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, Bill C-48, was defeated by a vote of 6-6 Wednesday night at the meeting of the Senate Committee of Transportation and Communications.

If passed, the bill would have prohibited oil tankers from stopping, or unloading crude oil, along the British Columbia coastline.

A detailed report outlining the committee’s recommendation will now be sent to the Senate.

But in the end, we could not agree on enough amendments to make the bill something I could support. And so, in the end, I made a tough decision and voted against C-48. Since I was the swing vote, and since I voted last, I guess you could say I cast the deciding vote.

— Paula Simons (@Paulatics) May 16, 2019

On Thursday, that same committee will debate Bill C-69, which could change how major infrastructure projects are approved in Canada.

Critics argue if the bill is passed in its current form, it would make building pipelines effectively impossible.

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  Oil tanker (file image)