An opposition motion to ban oil tankers from the north coast of B.C. passed today in a close vote with the support of all three opposition parties.

In addition to this vote, a scathing auditor general's report was released today stating that Canada is not prepared to deal with an oil spill.

"This is a vitally important victory in the fight against oil tankers on our coast," said Ben West, Healthy Communities Campaigner for the Wilderness Committee. "This victory not only protects our own north western coastline but is also an important step towards phasing out our reliance on fossil fuels, the leading cause of climate change," said West.

Currently world leaders are meeting in Cancun, Mexico to negotiate the next phase of the United Nations climate treaty. There is little expectation that this conference will result in a new agreement to reduce emissions.

"This decision in the House of Commons today could do more to reduce fossil fuel dependence than anything coming out of Cancun. Canada has been a pariah on the world stage in climate negotiations but, ironically, given that they don't have a majority of seats in the House, Harper isn't able to block legislation in Canada as easily as he can block progress in Cancun," said West.

The motion is non-binding and therefore could be ignored by the Harper government. Recently the Conservative majority in the Senate over turned climate legislation supported by opposition parties making up a majority of members of the house of commons.

"I hope Harper doesn't undermine democracy again" said West."We need Canada's elected officials to be able to represent the majority of Canadians without interference."

If the northern tanker ban is successful there will still be an average of two oil tankers a week leaving from Vancouver.

"I want to thank all those who voted today to protect our coast from an oil spill," said West. "Next we need to make our elected officials aware of the new threat Harper's government has exposed us to by allowing large oil tankers to pass through the Vancouver harbour," said West.

"This is an issue no one was aware of because changes to the safety regulations were made quietly in 2007 with no public process. We hope this victory today leads to increased awareness of the threat posed by tankers in Vancouver. Dealing with this issue is a crucial next step, since the auditor general's report makes clear that we are not ready to deal with an oil spill," said West.

Contact:

Ben West, Wilderness Committee, Healthy Communities Campaigner, 604-710-5340