Prime Minister Mark Carney and BC Premier David Eby announced the new Canada-British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement in Vancouver on July 2, 2026, a multi-billion-dollar deal covering critical infrastructure, clean energy, workforce training, child care, and environmental protection. The announcement was timed ahead of Alberta’s proposed oil pipeline to the BC coast; the federal government committed to maintaining the North Coast tanker ban in accordance with the proposed pipeline route, and Eby said BC would not challenge a future pipeline in court but would seek fair compensation for any environmental risk.
The report gathers reaction from across the political spectrum, including from figures connected to the NDP.
NDP Comments
Former NDP federal MP and provincial MLA Nathan Cullen called the maintenance of the North Coast tanker ban a “huge win for BC and Canada,” saying it averts a “major fight” with First Nations and northwest communities and describing the deal as a significant win for Premier Eby.
Federal NDP Leader Avi Lewis, by contrast, said BC had “caved to the federal government’s big business approach under Prime Minister Mark Carney,” and that Eby had “caved to the interests of ‘big oil.’” Lewis noted that Carney has admitted Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions will increase under the current federal economic plan.
The report also notes the BC Conservatives’ framing of the BC NDP government as “opposing a new pipeline” — which Island Social Trends states is not accurate, as the provincial government has said it favours twinning the existing Trans Mountain pipeline while protecting against environmental impacts — and includes criticism from BC Green Leader Emily Lowan and MLA Jeremy Valeriote.