Calgary Liberal MP Corey Hogan said Monday that he would have supported the federal government’s Bill C-48, known by critics as the “no new pipelines” bill, had he been in the House of Commons when the legislation passed.Hogan made the comment in the House in response to Conservative MP Garnett Genuis, who represents Sherwood Park–Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta.Genuis asked whether he would have backed the 2019 law, which imposed a ban on oil tankers carrying large quantities of crude oil off the northern coast of British Columbia. Conservatives have long argued the measure was explicitly designed to block future pipeline projects from reaching tidewater in northern B.C..Earlier in the same debate, Hogan criticized a separate Conservative motion to scrap Ottawa’s oil and gas emissions cap, calling it a divisive tactic. He said the Liberal government’s focus is on making Canada an “energy superpower” by developing both conventional and clean energy sources while reducing emissions.“The government does not make policy decisions based on opposition motions,” Hogan told the House. “We are focused on results, not Conservative gains.”He highlighted recent federal approvals of major energy projects, including the Ksi Lisims LNG development in British Columbia, which is led by the Nisga’a Nation and supported by a First Nations-owned pipeline..“This is the second largest private investment in Canadian history, and it will export the cleanest LNG in the world,” Hogan said.Bill C-48, passed in 2019, formalized a moratorium on oil tankers transporting more than 12,500 metric tonnes of crude oil or heavy persistent oils along the northern coast of British Columbia. The Liberal government argued the measure was necessary to protect sensitive coastal ecosystems and uphold commitments to Indigenous communities in the region..Conservatives and industry groups strongly opposed the bill, because it effectively prevented any future pipeline proposals aimed at shipping Alberta crude to northern B.C. ports. Critics argued it singled out the oil sands industry and limited Canada’s ability to diversify energy exports beyond the United States.Supporters, including environmental organizations and some Indigenous groups, said the law represented a precautionary step against potential oil spills in ecologically sensitive waters.Hogan’s declaration places him firmly within the Liberal Party’s established climate and energy policy framework, which prioritizes emissions reduction and environmental safeguards alongside economic development. But the stance could prove politically contentious in Alberta, where Bill C-48 remains unpopular and has been cited by provincial leaders as evidence of federal hostility toward the energy sector.
