Multi-billion-dollar Deal Funds Transportation, Clean Energy, Commits to Strengthening Child Care, Workforce Training in B.C.

July 22, 2026

Multi-billion-dollar deal funds transportation, clean energy, commits to strengthening child care, workforce training, while protecting B.C.’s north coast tanker ban

• Delivers major new funding for critical infrastructure, resource projects, clean energy
• Advances commitments to workforce training, child care, environmental protection
• Protects North Coast tanker ban and secures fair compensation for any future pipeline

Premier David Eby has secured a multi-billion-dollar agreement with Prime Minister Mark Carney that sets British Columbia on a generational path to prosperity, unlocking jobs for workers, support for vital public services and infrastructure, and protecting the tanker ban and British Columbia’s pristine northern coast.

“This agreement is about building B.C.’s future – not just for this year, but for generations to come. It means more good jobs for workers and more opportunities to train for better pay, all while protecting the beautiful places that make our province so remarkable,” said Premier Eby. “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. I want to thank the Prime Minister for recognizing the key role B.C. is playing in building a stronger, more independent Canada.”

The Canada-British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement creates a new long-term partnership between the federal and provincial government – built around B.C.’s unique position as Canada’s Pacific gateway and its world-class strengths in clean energy, natural resources, critical minerals and trade infrastructure. It also confirms that the North Coast tanker ban will be fully maintained without modification, and it ensures British Columbia is compensated for environmental risk if the federal government imposes a pipeline on the province. The agreement secures new commitments on watershed protection and does not require the Government of B.C. to support any pipeline proposal from Alberta.

Central to this new partnership is a multi-billion-dollar investment from the federal government to support major projects in B.C. – led by up to $3 billion toward the cost of the Fraser River Tunnel Project, as well as commitments to the Red Chris mine expansion and the North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL). Support for NCTL will mean a $3.9-billion net benefit to rate payers. The agreement also advances shared commitments to workforce training and child care, helping ensure B.C. has the skilled workers needed to build critical infrastructure and seize new economic opportunities.

“British Columbians have always known how to build big and how to build well. Today, Canada and British Columbia are building on that legacy by further accelerating major energy projects and trade corridors, protecting our land and waters, and giving workers the support they need to help build Canada strong,” said Prime Minister Carney. “Together, we’re turning British Columbia’s enormous economic potential into lasting prosperity. We’re building British Columbia strong to build Canada strong for all.”

Canada and B.C. will continue discussions on federal support to build on B.C.’s natural resource strengths. This includes a new federal commitment to delivering on port infrastructure and additional support for the forest and steel sectors in the face of U.S. tariffs. In an increasingly uncertain world, B.C. can help provide the critical minerals, energy and resources that trusted allies need from a stable, reliable partner – with some of the lowest-carbon LNG in the world, helping support energy security, while reducing global emissions.

This agreement supports B.C.’s Look West jobs and economic growth plan that will see more than $88 billion in proposed major projects reaching a final investment decision over the next three years. By securing a fair share from the federal government, B.C. expects to strengthen its fiscal foundation and improve front-line public services.

Objectives

• British Columbia and Canada will collaboratively advance shared priorities, including in the context of British Columbia’s Look West strategy, as a framework for joint action on economic security, trade diversification, to create good jobs and strengthen the economic security and prosperity of B.C. and Canada.
• Canada and British Columbia commit to pursuing economic growth in a way that aligns with Canadian values: through meaningful First Nations participation and ownership in projects; through pursuing projects, as well as protecting private property rights throughout British Columbia, sustainably and deploying low-carbon solutions with best-in-class technology; and by ensuring that British Columbian and Canadian workers are provided with training opportunities in partnership with organised labour.
• Both governments have and will continue to take concrete steps to accelerate review, permitting, and delivery of critical infrastructure in clean electricity and energy, critical mineral development, and secure supply chains, with joint timelines for each project identified under the agreement.
• Both Parties reaffirm the existing impact assessment agreement between Canada and British Columbia, to provide for timely and predictable review processes that give proponents and First Nations partners clear predictable timelines.

Implementation Committee

• Canada and British Columbia will appoint an Implementation Committee responsible for delivering on agreed outcomes.
• Canada and B.C. commit to work together on the initiatives outlined in this Agreement according to the schedule outlined in Annex A.
• The Implementation Committee will ensure that the commitments set out in the agreement are actively managed, monitored, and translated into measurable progress.
• This committee will also serve as a central forum for coordination, troubleshooting, and ongoing dialogue, helping both Parties stay aligned as work progresses.

Clean Electricity, Decarbonisation, and Environmental Commitments

British Columbia already has one of the cleanest electricity grids in the world because of decades of public investment in hydroelectric infrastructure and a provincial commitment to building a clean economy. Canada and British Columbia both see the value in extending that infrastructure to build the transmission capacity and generation needed to power the next generation of major projects, decarbonise B.C.’s industrial base and position Canada as a global leader in clean energy supply in line with the goal of net zero by 2050. The commitments in this section reflect both Parties’ recognition that the clean energy transition is an economic opportunity as much as an environmental imperative.

• North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL): The North Coast Transmission Line is foundational infrastructure for B.C.’s Northwest and for Canada’s critical mineral ambitions. In support of the Parties’ efforts to deliver clean energy to major projects of national interest in central and northwestern B.C., Canada and British Columbia will work to develop a comprehensive support package for each phase of the NCTL, enabling it to deliver clean power to communities and industrial customers in the northwest, while respecting First Nations’ rights and interests. This work will include consideration of intertie connections to Yukon, maximising opportunities for critical minerals development and clean energy export. Canada intends to extend the Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit to support major high-voltage intra-provincial transmissions projects, on a national basis, complementing existing support for inter-provincial interties. Canada will provide significant financial support toward the total capital costs of Phases 1 and 2. This will be achieved through a combination of federal contributions, capital cost savings from access to low-cost financing, the Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit, and First Nation equity supports. The Parties further agree to jointly develop significant funding supports at a similar proportion related to Phase 3 and to work with First Nations to support capacity and provide appropriate accommodations.
• Clean Electricity and Watershed Protection: British Columbia’s clean power is among the province’s most strategic assets. As industrial demand grows, maintaining and expanding generation is essential, as is protecting water as the foundation of B.C.’s economy, energy systems, major projects, health and well-being, wildlife, and climate resilience. Canada and B.C. commit to collaborating on:
  • the development of new clean power projects to ensure B.C. has the generation capacity needed for a sustainable, low-carbon economic future.
  • supporting growth in British Columbia’s emerging wind power sector, including wind turbine transport, and exploring the development of a wind turbine manufacturing sector in B.C., using Canadian steel.
  • watershed protection, including exploring a contribution to B.C.’s Watershed Security Fund through the Canada Water Agency.
• The Implementation Committee established under this Agreement will collaborate to develop and implement commitments relevant to the topics set out above.
• Additional Decarbonisation Projects: The Implementation Committee established under this Agreement will work to identify, support and accelerate other clean energy and emissions reductions opportunities, ensuring B.C.’s leadership in clean energy is maintained into the future.
• Flood Mitigation: The Parties agree to work together to negotiate a cost-shared investment for planning work and to support flood mitigation activities, including integrated infrastructure and ecological planning necessary to advance implementation-ready projects. In 2026-27, the Federal Government will provide up to $20 million for cost-shared planning and initial project management work, subject to the approval of projects and signing of an agreement. By building on completed and funded planning work, and informed by the planning committee recommendations, the Parties will seek to advance priority mitigation initiatives through future funding consideration and cost-share investments, to address the complex risks within the Sumas Prairie to protect people, critical national corridor infrastructure, energy, and food security.

Skills Training and Talent Development

The projects and commitments in this agreement are only achievable if we have the workforce available to build and operate them. British Columbia is facing a significant skilled trades shortage just as demand is accelerating. Closing that gap requires coordinated federal and provincial action on training, childcare and labour standards.

• Skilled Trades: Building on significant federal and provincial investments in skilled trades training, Canada and British Columbia commit to strong and effective coordination for their respective investments to ensure B.C. has the workforce needed to deliver on major project commitments at speed and at scale. This coordination will include alignment through the Government of Canada’s Team Canada Strong initiative.
• Childcare Commitments: A strong, stable and ready workforce is essential to delivering on these commitments. To support labour force participation and skilled trades training and readiness, Canada and British Columbia commit to renegotiating the terms of the existing Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Canada-wide agreements to enable a stable and adequately resourced vision for the delivery of early learning and childcare in B.C. Canada and British Columbia will work to reach agreement on these terms through bilateral discussions led by the responsible ministers in each jurisdiction, including consideration for school-aged children.
• Unionised Labour: Many of the projects in this agreement will be built with public money and public support. Canada and B.C. commit to ensuring that public infrastructure spending under this agreement prioritises decent wages, safe workplaces, and meaningful trades training opportunities in partnership with organised labour.

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