Prime Minister Mark Carney and British Columbia Premier David Eby have signed a "prosperity agreement" they say will help unlock billions of dollars in new investment. The deal includes a promise by the federal government to not change the northern oil tanker ban and to accelerate construction of LNG projects.
It touches on multiple other projects, including plans for the North Coast Transmission Line and Newmont’s Red Chris mine expansion. Here is what some people are saying about the deal:
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"This agreement is comprehensive. It is ambitious. And it will help transform the entire Canadian economy and fund the public services on which all Canadians rely."
— Prime Minister Mark Carney
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"This deal will deliver faster commutes as we build critical infrastructure, less pollution as we power growth with clean electricity, and the kind of shared prosperity that funds strong public services."
— B.C. Premier David Eby
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“By opposing a new pipeline, the NDP government has put its ideology above the well-being of the province, and has cost B.C. workers and families for years.”
— B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay
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"Eby continues to contradict himself. He says B.C. is a net contributor to national coffers, then claims that BC has no leverage in federal infrastructure decisions. Carney, (Alberta Premier Danielle) Smith and Eby are performing a choreographed struggle where the winners were always going to be foreign fossil fuel companies.”
— B.C. Green Party Leader Emily Lowan
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"Today is a good day … We applaud B.C. Premier David Eby for his leadership in upholding the oil tanker ban and we thank Prime Minister Carney for recognizing the importance of our coast."
— Marilyn Slett, president of the Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative and elected chief of the Heiltsuk Nation
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"Strategic investments in the North Coast Transmission Line, Newmont’s Red Chris mine expansion, and Roberts Bank Terminal 2 are very important nation-building projects that will enable the continued growth of British Columbia’s mining industry."
— Tim McEwan, Mining Association of British Columbia
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“Upholding the north coast oil tanker ban is the right decision. Communities and First Nations have fought for decades to keep the coast safe from the threat of oil spills, and to develop a robust, sustainable economy that relies on a healthy coast and ocean."
— Georgia Lloyd-Smith, West Coast Environmental Law
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"The commitment to explore a national carbon credit framework is the most interesting element of this agreement. It could help incentivize Canadians to invest in electrification in their daily lives — a critical and, so far, missing piece of our national electrification strategy."
— Chris Severson-Baker, Pembina Institute
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“Today's commitment recognizes the importance of the region and risk of oil supertankers in our dangerous waters.”
— Des Nobels, Friends of Wild Salmon
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“This will mean thousands of good, family-supporting union jobs, especially for those who've been hit the hardest by the economic upheavals of the past few years. And it means their communities can offer a bright future for new workers.”
— Sussanne Skidmore, BC Federation of Labour
