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Climate Change & the Environment  /  Jobs, Businesses, & Labour

Mining and minerals platforms

Here's what the 2026 BC Provincial Election parties are promising.

BC NDP
  • Double production and export of critical minerals within five years by providing concierge support, faster approvals, and supporting First Nations participation

    "Double B.C.’s production and export of critical minerals within five years by providing concierge support, accelerating approvals, fast-tracking the North Coast Transmission Line, and supporting First Nations participation." — bcndp.ca, retrieved 2026-10-21

  • Run environmental assessments and permits for major mines concurrently to reduce timelines

    "Accelerating approvals for major mines by running environmental assessments and permits concurrently — cutting timelines by over 60%." — bcndp.ca, retrieved 2026-10-13

  • Set fixed permitting timelines for mining exploration

    "Meeting fixed permitting timelines for mining exploration paired with strong environmental protections and meaningful First Nations engagement." — bcndp.ca, retrieved 2026-10-13

  • Strengthen inspection powers and enforcement of worker safety issues at mines

    "Protecting worker safety by strengthening inspection powers and enforcement and ensuring full-time worker representation on health and safety committees." — bcndp.ca, retrieved 2026-10-13

  • Work with the Prince Rupert Port Authority and Federal Government to expand new intermodal infrastructure and streamline movement of goods

BC Conservative
  • Make BC the fastest place in North America to permit a mine or LNG facility

    "Make BC the fastest place in North America to permit a mine and an LNG facility, and report publicly on our progress every year." — Ready to Deliver, retrieved 2026-10-18

  • Legislate fixed timelines for project approvals, with one review per project

    "Legislate permitting and approval certainty, with fixed timelines, “one project, one review” approvals, and quarterly reporting of progress on each project. Exploration permits will operate on the same principle, with timelines matching or beating competing Canadian jurisdictions." — Ready to Deliver, retrieved 2026-10-18

  • Defend BC mines against US aggression

    "Defend BC mines against US aggression, including working with Ottawa to defend Rio Tinto’s Kitimat aluminum operations." — Ready to Deliver, retrieved 2026-10-18

  • Encourage global mining companies and exploration operations to locate in BC

    "Bring headquarters and corporate activity home by encouraging global mining companies and exploration operations to locate in British Columbia." — Ready to Deliver, retrieved 2026-10-18

  • Develop a Future Mining Jobs Blueprint with industry so secondary schools, colleges, and universities train students for the jobs mines will need

    "Develop a Future Mining Jobs Blueprint with industry so secondary schools, colleges and universities train British Columbians for the jobs mines will need." — Ready to Deliver, retrieved 2026-10-18

  • Show 9 more promises...
  • Expand the Mining Exploration Tax Credit

    "Expand the Mining Exploration Tax Credit and press Ottawa to make federal exploration credits permanent and extend flow-through eligibility into engineering and feasibility work." — Ready to Deliver, retrieved 2026-10-18

  • Identify where exploration is welcome and keep it open

    "Map for growth. We will identify where exploration is welcome and keep it open, with land-use planning enabling responsible exploration." — Ready to Deliver, retrieved 2026-10-18

  • Explore the business case for more value-added processing, and fast track permits and provide incentives for value-added projects

    "Value-add in mining. Explore the business case for more value-added processing and, where there is investor interest, fast track permits and provide incentives to encourage more value-added projects." — Ready to Deliver, retrieved 2026-10-18

  • Treat roads, rail, and port access serving mineral districts as provincially-significant infrastructure

    "Define provincially significant infrastructure. Treat roads, rail and port access serving mineral districts as provincially significant infrastructure." — Ready to Deliver, retrieved 2026-10-18

  • Work with First Nations and Indigenous resource groups to help build administrative and technical capacity so consultation is done properly and on time

    "Expand First Nations participation. We will engage with First Nations and Indigenous resource groups to help build administrative and technical capacity so consultation is done properly and on time." — Ready to Deliver, retrieved 2026-10-18

  • Explore using public-private investment to upgrade electrical grids and roads in mining communities

    "Upgrade mining communities, exploring joint public-private investment in electrical grids and roads, particularly in remote regions." — Ready to Deliver, retrieved 2026-10-18

  • Encourage junior-mining partnerships with global miners, major companies, incubators, and accelerators
  • Reinvest $5M/year for five years in Geoscience BC

    "Support geoscience innovation by making BC the first place our mining innovators prove and deploy technology. We will reinvest $5 million annually for five years in Geoscience BC, where mineral research alone has generated a seven-times return on investment." — Ready to Deliver, retrieved 2026-10-18

  • Maintain high environmental, safety, and reclamation standards

    "Maintain high environmental, safety and reclamation standards. Faster decisions do not mean weaker rules. You build it, you clean it." — Ready to Deliver, retrieved 2026-10-18

BC Green
  • Build a responsible critical minerals strategy, focused on high environmental standards, recycling and recovery, and more processing and value-add in BC

    "Build a responsible critical-minerals strategy focused on high environmental standards, recycling and recovery, and more processing and value-added activity where it makes sense in BC." — Believe in Better, retrieved 2026-10-13

  • Have full-time worker representation on mine health and safety committees

    "Commit to having full-time worker representation on mine health and safety committees, ensuring every worker in BC returns home safe at the end of the day." — Believe in Better, retrieved 2026-10-13

Looking for the parties' positions on other topics?

See our full 2026 BC Provincial Election platform comparison