British Columbia Can Be a Global Resource Leader Again

British Columbia possesses some of the world's richest deposits of copper, gold, nickel, zinc, critical minerals, metallurgical coal, timber, and natural gas.

Yet despite these extraordinary advantages, BC has become increasingly difficult in which to invest.

Today, projects often face lengthy permitting timelines, regulatory uncertainty, overlapping approval processes, litigation risk, and policy instability. While other jurisdictions compete aggressively for investment, BC too often competes with itself.

Competitive BC believes environmental protection, Indigenous partnership, and economic development can and must work together. A competitive natural resource economy benefits every British Columbian.

Global demand for copper, critical minerals, gold, and metallurgical coal continues to grow as countries invest in electrification, artificial intelligence, energy infrastructure, and national security.

British Columbia is exceptionally well positioned to supply these resources.

However, investment decisions are increasingly influenced by permitting certainty rather than geology alone. Mining companies compare British Columbia with Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Alaska, and Australia when allocating exploration and development capital.

Investors seek jurisdictions that provide predictable permitting timelines, regulatory certainty, efficient environmental reviews, competitive taxation, reliable electricity, strong Indigenous partnerships, and clear pathways from exploration to production.

Competitive BC believes British Columbia should establish North America's fastest and most predictable permitting system for responsible mining while maintaining rigorous environmental standards.

Forestry has supported British Columbia's economy for more than a century. Today the industry faces unprecedented challenges.

Mill closures, declining harvest volumes, wildfire impacts, fibre shortages, changing land-use priorities, and international trade disputes have significantly reduced investment across many forest-dependent communities. Many forestry companies now invest more aggressively in Alberta and the United States than in British Columbia.

Competitive BC supports policies that restore confidence by increasing long-term timber supply certainty, accelerating salvage harvesting following wildfire and pest outbreaks, supporting value-added wood manufacturing, encouraging mass timber innovation, modernizing forest management, and reducing unnecessary regulatory duplication.

British Columbia should once again be recognized as the world's premier jurisdiction for sustainable forest management and advanced wood products.

British Columbia possesses one of the largest natural gas resources in North America. Liquefied natural gas exports provide an opportunity to create thousands of high-paying jobs, strengthen government revenues, and diversify Canada's export markets. BC also benefits from abundant hydroelectric power, enabling some of the world's lowest-emission LNG production.

At the same time, investment remains highly competitive. Projects compete with Texas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Alberta, Qatar, Australia, and the U.S. Gulf Coast. Capital flows toward jurisdictions offering regulatory certainty, predictable approvals, competitive royalty systems, modern infrastructure, skilled labour, and stable government policy.

Competitive BC supports responsible natural gas development while encouraging emissions reduction, methane management, carbon capture technologies, and continued environmental performance improvements. Economic competitiveness and environmental responsibility should reinforce one another — not compete.

Resource companies rarely invest based on a single factor. Investment decisions consider regulatory certainty, approval timelines, tax policy, labour availability, labour relations, Indigenous partnership, infrastructure, electricity, transportation, and political stability.

When uncertainty increases, investment moves elsewhere. British Columbia increasingly competes against jurisdictions that approve projects faster while maintaining high environmental standards.

Competitive BC believes British Columbia should aspire to become the most predictable natural resource jurisdiction in North America.

Competitive BC supports policies that make British Columbia the preferred destination for responsible natural resource investment.

Specifically, we support: legislated permitting timelines with public performance reporting; greater coordination among provincial, federal, and Indigenous approval processes; stable and competitive royalty and taxation systems; increased investment in roads, ports, electricity transmission, and trade infrastructure; strong partnerships with First Nations that provide certainty for communities and investors; expanded incentives for critical minerals, value-added forestry, and emissions-reducing technologies; and transparent benchmarking against competing jurisdictions in Canada, the United States, and Australia.

British Columbia does not need to choose between environmental stewardship and economic growth. With clear rules, timely decisions, and collaborative partnerships, we can achieve both. A thriving natural resource economy means more investment, more innovation, more family-supporting jobs, and more revenue to fund the public services that British Columbians depend upon.