Canada Will Extend its Ban on Drilling in the Arctic Offshore

The Canadian government announced on Monday that it will extend a 2023 order suspending federal oil and gas operations in the Arctic, which was supposed to be lifted in 2023.

New offshore oil and gas licenses in Canadian Arctic waters were banned by the Canadian government in 2016. In a unilateral move, the federal government made the moratorium permanent.

Premier Bob McLeod at the time responded with a “red alert,” claiming that the federal government was being “patronizing” and “colonial” by ignoring municipal authorities. 

The federal government tightened these regulations in 2019 and banned all oil and gas exploration and extraction in the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Canada. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) stated in an email that it is committed to continuing the 2019 ban order for as long as the 2016 moratorium is in effect, despite the fact that the legislation states that these regulations would be lifted on December 31, 2022.

The MLA for Nunakput in the Northwest Territories, Jackie Jacobson, has expressed his desire to have the moratorium lifted in order to facilitate the creation of new employment opportunities in the region.

“We need employment,” he said. “Right now people are really suffering in regards to work.”

Doug Matthews, an energy analyst, claims it makes no difference if the government removes drilling restrictions in the Arctic.

“Nobody needs the oil,” said Matthews.

Original source material for this article taken from here