Canada's federal and British Columbia governments have struck a sweeping agreement to pour billions of dollars into ports, transport links and energy projects across the province, in a bid to expand exports and drive economic growth. The two governments cast the deal as a foundation for decades of jobs and prosperity.
The announcement was made jointly in Vancouver. Prime Minister Mark Carney appeared alongside B.C. Premier David Eby to unveil what they called the Canada-British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement, a multibillion-dollar package of federal investments in the province.
The single largest commitment targets the coast. The agreement earmarks 10 billion dollars from Ottawa to upgrade the Roberts Bank terminal at the Port of Vancouver, an expansion Carney said would help increase Canadian exports flowing through the country's largest port.
A major road project also features prominently. The deal sets aside 3 billion dollars for the replacement of the George Massey Tunnel, widening the route along Highway 99 from four lanes to eight, which the government said would allow more exports to move through the Lower Mainland by road.
Energy and resources are part of the plan as well. The agreement includes 3.5 billion dollars in federal funding for the North Coast Transmission Line to deliver electricity to communities and projects in the region, along with 500 million dollars to expand the Red Chris Mine, a move said to boost national copper production by more than 15 per cent.
The reach of the deal extends up the coast. The agreement also directs money toward the Port of Prince Rupert and the Port of Stewart to strengthen northern trade corridors, part of a broader effort to open up new routes for Canadian goods to reach global markets.
Even as it promised new industrial development, the pact preserved a key environmental measure. Carney said his government would uphold the ban on oil tankers off B.C.'s North Coast, which was described as a central component of the overall agreement.
Taken together, the package represents one of the largest joint federal-provincial economic commitments B.C. has seen, tying together trade, transport and energy. The two leaders framed it as a long-term bet on the province's economy at a time when Ottawa is pushing to strengthen exports and national growth.