00:00We were celebrating Canada Day and today we're celebrating Canada Strong Day because in a more dangerous and divided world,
00:10our strategy has been and continues to be to focus on what we can control, building our strength here at
00:16home and diversifying our partnerships abroad.
00:20And today, a series of initiatives we're going to announce, anchored here in British Columbia, we will catalyze through these
00:30initiatives over $200 billion in new investment while advancing our trade agenda across Asia.
00:40In all cases, British Columbia is the linchpin, the gateway to a more prosperous, more sustainable and a more inclusive
00:49Canada.
00:51And I want to thank you, Premier Eby, for your leadership in making this possible and that of your colleagues
00:57who are here this morning.
00:59The world is becoming more dangerous and divided.
01:04The world's commercial system is in full of change.
01:09And now, we are facing a three-way crisis, the cost of life, the security and the climate.
01:19The good news is that Canada has solutions.
01:22Just a few weeks ago, at the G7, leaders called on Canada to provide the reliable energy that the world
01:30needs.
01:30And we'll do so sustainably and inclusively.
01:35The Premier is just back from China, opening new opportunities for BC businesses.
01:42Today, President Marcos of the Philippines.
01:46The Premier and I will join him.
01:47President Marcos is here beginning a state visit that will deepen our economic and security and cultural ties with the
01:56Philippines and, given his presidency of ASEAN, across the 500 million residents of the ASEAN countries.
02:05But to seize these opportunities, Canada has to do things differently.
02:09We need to move faster, we need to build bigger, and we need to work together.
02:14We have to be ambitious and build sustainably and inclusively.
02:20British Columbia is Canada's gateway to the world's fastest growing markets.
02:26British Columbia's power grid produces amongst the cleanest and most reliable affordable electricity in North America.
02:34BC is a leader in mining, production of gold, zinc, copper and well beyond.
02:39This great province has one of the world's most educated and skilled populations.
02:45And so it's on that exceptional foundation that Premier Eby and I are committed to build a stronger market.
02:52Already it's the case that one-third of the initiatives that are advancing through the Major Projects Office come from
02:57BC.
02:58But today we're accelerating and broadening that momentum.
03:03Premier Eby and I are announcing a landmark Canada-British Columbia cooperative prosperity agreement.
03:10This agreement is comprehensive, it's ambitious, and it will help transform the entire Canadian economy.
03:16So it's not just about one province, the entire Canadian economy and will help fund the public services on which
03:23Canadians rely.
03:24It's a plan that will help us to exploit our full potential in terms of super-puissance energy.
03:33It will allow us to build new transport corridors and understand what already exists,
03:41so that we can export our resources to the world's markets more quickly.
03:47It will allow us to do that globally.
03:53It will allow us to berade and thank you for what we are seeing.
03:56It's a plan that we are seeing as a man-ofsuit program.
03:59It will allow us to build a number of global public services,
04:05and will allow us to negotiate the same economy.
04:07It will allow us to look forward to the future and encourage us to reach the highest level.
04:17It will allow us to pay attention to the future and strong numbers.
04:19So what are we going to do?
04:21Well, first, Canada and British Columbia will work together to accelerate the projects that
04:27will unlock Canada's full potential as a global energy superpower, starting with LNG.
04:35By 2040, global LNG demand is expected to rise by 60 percent, particularly to replace
04:41high-emission coal generation in Asia, and to balance grids that are increasingly going
04:47to be powered by renewables.
04:50Canada can become the preferred supplier.
04:54The federal government will work with private sector proponents, communities, and First Nations
04:59to accelerate the permitting, the financing, and the construction of major LNG projects
05:04in BC.
05:04These include LNG Canada, Cylissums, Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Projects, Cedar, and
05:12Wood Fiber LNG.
05:14These projects collectively will more than triple our production over the next decade, reach
05:19new markets in Asia as well as Europe, and all of them built with low emissions and in
05:25full partnership with First Nations.
05:28Secondly, we will support the development of the power, the mining, and the trade infrastructure
05:34needed to unlock northern British Columbia's full economic potential in an environmentally
05:40sustainable way.
05:42With respect to power, the federal government will provide $3.5 billion for Phases 1 and
05:482 of the North Coast Transmission Line to deliver clean, reliable, affordable electricity
05:54to projects in the regions and their communities.
05:57On mining, the federal government will invest $500 million to expand the Red Criss mine, which
06:05will increase Canada's annual copper production by more than 15 percent, reinforcing our position
06:12as the reliable critical mineral supplier of choice, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions
06:19in the production by over 70 percent.
06:21With respect to broader issues of sustainability and conservation, we will create, through this
06:29process, a new conservation area the size of Greece, consistent with Canada's commitment
06:36to preserve 30 percent of our lands by 2030.
06:40And we will invest in new clean energy projects across the province with a particular focus on
06:46developing wind turbine manufacturing in BC.
06:51We will improve the energy transport networks and create new energy projects to deliver all our
07:02potential in the world's super-puissance energy power.
07:06We will also put in place the commercial infrastructure necessary to achieve our resources for new markets
07:18The port of Vancouver moves a billion dollars in trade every single day, reaching over 170 countries.
07:27And it moves more cargo than the next five largest Canadian ports combined.
07:34But that success is now straining capacity. Bottlenecks are appearing and they're worsening.
07:40Ships have to wait to load their cargo. It takes too long for imported goods to get to Canadian markets.
07:49That slows our trade. It means we lose some business to the United States. It increases prices here at home.
07:56Overall, it's holding our economy back. So we're committed to change that.
08:00This is part of our drive to double non-US exports over the course of the next decade.
08:07The Government of Canada will support $10 billion in major infrastructure upgrades to expand capacity at the Roberts Bank Terminal.
08:17That alone will unlock $100 billion in new trade capacity, adding approximately $3 billion to Canada's economy every single year.
08:28The potential of this expansion over time will rival the contribution of the St. Lawrence Seaway to our country.
08:37Now, while we make it easier to move trade, we'll make life easier for long-suffering commuters.
08:44In partnership with British Columbia, the Federal Government will provide up to $3 billion for the George Massey Tunnel Replacement
08:52Project.
08:52This will replace, as many of you know, the aging four-lane transport tunnel along Highway 99 with a modern
09:00eight-lane tunnel,
09:02enabling Canada to export more of what we produce while connecting the economy of the Lower Mainland as a whole.
09:10In parallel, we'll work with port authorities and First Nations to maximize the potential of the ports of Prince Rupert
09:19and the Port of Stewart.
09:21These will serve as vital trade corridors for our critical minerals and other resources,
09:26and provide much-needed extra capacity for a growing B.C. economy.
09:34Now, British Columbians and Canadians have always understood that it's not just about what we build, but it's also about
09:41how we build.
09:42And that's why we're building sustainably, including by establishing a new national carbon credit framework to build carbon markets that
09:51actually work,
09:52and by expanding B.C.'s clean grid to where it can have the greatest impact.
09:57It's also through Canada's $250 million investment in the Whales Initiative to reinforce existing protection for Canada's whales,
10:10including the southern resident killer whale habitat alongside the B.C. coast.
10:16And we'll strengthen protections for coastal ecosystems by preventing oil spills and strengthening marine conservation through our new Oceans Protection
10:26Plan.
10:27On top of all that, the conditions for the Roberts Bank's Terminal 2 expansion will include detailed measures to protect
10:35these habitats.
10:37We're also clear that today's Canada-B.C. agreement will maintain the federal North Coast tanker ban,
10:48in accordance with the proposed route of a new trans-provincial pipeline under the bilateral agreement with Canada and Alberta.
10:58We will build inclusively, in true partnership with First Nations, including those here alongside the Salish Sea.
11:07That means Indigenous ownership to give communities a direct stake in the projects and to deliver durable, long-lasting economic
11:16benefits.
11:17The scale of these opportunities is absolutely unprecedented.
11:23And we're committed that our agreement will provide the model for the future across the country.
11:30We will also build in solidarity with B.C. workers.
11:35Through the Team Canada Strong initiative, we're in the process of creating up to 100,000 skilled trades apprenticeships.
11:43And through this agreement, we will also provide $630 million for affordable childcare in B.C.
11:54So more B.C. can participate in the growing economy as they wish.
12:01Throughout, we will prioritize Canadian materials, including B.C. lumber, steel and critical minerals.
12:10You know, there is a long, proud history of building in this province.
12:17That building has brought great prosperity, but also in retrospect, there have been some lessons.
12:23It hasn't always been done in the best way.
12:26I'll give a personal example here.
12:30My grandfather worked in the 30s and 40s, early 50s, in the Anaconda copper mine at Britannia Beach,
12:37which at its peak provided one-fifth of the world's copper supply.
12:43It created great prosperity.
12:46It was foreign-owned.
12:48The workers in that mine weren't always treated fairly.
12:50First Nations were excluded, and the environmental impact of that mine was largely ignored.
12:59This time, now, in partnership, we are building in the right way.
13:05In solidarity with workers, in full partnership with First Nations,
13:10and sustainably in a way that protects the lands and waters for generations to come.
13:16Today's landmark agreement is about building a Canada that works for all.
13:22And that's truly Canada strong.
13:25Thank you very much for your attention.
13:27And now I would like to pass the floor to Premier Evie.
