Canada | Order Extending the Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Moratorium

The Order Prohibiting Certain Activities in Arctic Offshore Waters was originally issued in 2019 to freeze the terms of existing offshore oil and gas licences and to suspend all oil and gas activities in the Arctic offshore. The Order was extended until December 31, 2023, and this recent amendment extends it until December 31, 2028.

The main objectives of this law are to: i) Protect the Arctic offshore environment from the potential adverse impacts of oil and gas activities; ii) Continue to freeze the terms of the 11 existing exploration licences in the Beaufort Sea; iii) Respond to the interests of territorial governments, Northern Indigenous peoples, and industry; iv) Align with the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework and international agreements.

Link to the Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 157, Number 26: Index