BC NDP Vows to Double Critical Minerals Exports as Conservatives Outline ‘Energy Superpower Plan’

The BC NDP says it will double the province’s critical mineral exports in the next five years, while the BC Conservatives have laid out a new energy plan they say will boost the provincial economy.

The competing resource development announcements come just under a week after BC NDP Leader David Eby called a snap election for Oct. 24, with advance voting scheduled to run Oct. 16 to 21.

“Today in Prince Rupert, David Eby committed to doubling B.C.’s critical mineral exports within five years and expanding the Port of Prince Rupert, creating good jobs and opening new markets beyond the U.S.,” the BC NDP said on Sept. 28.

Referencing the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Eby said the “way out” is by expanding Canada’s export markets.

“B.C. has the critical minerals the world needs, with 18 new and expanded mines on the way. My plan cuts approval timelines by more than 60%, fast-tracks the North Coast Transmission Line with Canadian steel, and keeps the refining here so the jobs stay here,” Eby said.

The BC Conservatives, meanwhile, proposed a new energy plan termed the “BC Energy Superpower Plan” that they say will more than double the province’s natural gas production by 2032 and more than triple it by 2035.

“Today we announced our BC Energy Superpower Plan, a common sense solution to unlock the potential of our great province,” the party said on Sept. 28, adding that “BC’s abundant natural gas reserves will transform our economy and unleash jobs for BC workers.”

The proposed plan also calls to ease or cut regulatory and emissions regulations impacting the development of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in B.C., put in place a 120-day approval process, and replace the current carbon tax system for the sector.

Parties Clash Over Taxes

The two frontrunners in the B.C. election have recently clashed over taxes on the campaign trail, with BC Conservative interim leader Lorne Doerkson promising an “absolutely ironclad” commitment to impose no new taxes and no raises of existing taxes if his party takes power.

Doerkson said affordability will be prioritized by his government and said that planned expansion of the province’s forestry sector and other resources like LNG will help pay for public services and deal with B.C.’s projected $13.8 billion deficit without raising taxes.

Doerkson has also criticized Eby’s recent proposal to hike the speculation tax by 1 percent for foreign and Canadian owners and introduce a new Unsold Condo Tax on condominiums that stay vacant for one year or more, starting at 2 percent and going up by 1 percent per year for every additional year it is vacant.

“He’s had nine years and a majority to bring down the cost of a home, and he has failed. NDP taxes and red tape are the reason homes are too expensive, and every new tax on housing ends up in the price a family pays,” Doerkson said in a Sept. 25 release.

The BC NDP has said Doerkson’s commitment not to raise taxes will require spending cuts if paired with the BC Tories’ plan to also reduce the provincial deficit.

In a Sept. 27 statement, the BC NDP pointed to previous remarks by BC Tory MLA Tony Luck in February of this year stating that “if education and healthcare are the two biggest line items on the budget, they’re the ones that are going to have to take the brunt of this somehow.”

“Their announcement today confirms the Conservatives’ previous statements that healthcare would ‘take the brunt’ of their cuts,” the BC NDP wrote, adding that it disputes a claim by Doerkson that it had raised taxes more than 40 times. It said that the average B.C. working family earning $100,000 pays roughly $3,000 less in provincial taxes than under the previous BC Liberal government.

Election

The BC Conservatives lead the NDP among decided and leaning voters by 43 percent to 35 percent in a recent Angus Reid poll conducted Sept. 22 to 24, while a Research Co. survey released Aug. 18 put the NDP ahead 44 percent to 39 percent among decided voters.

Five BC NDP candidates, including four cabinet members, have announced they are not seeking reelection. Most recently, the incumbent Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee, who left the BC Conservatives on Oct. 20, 2025, to join the BC NDP, said she is not seeking reelection.

“Because I crossed the floor so recently, I am unable to marshal the kind of campaign necessary to give the NDP a fair shot in this snap election,” Boultbee said in her Sept. 28 announcement, adding that she wants “to make way for a more winnable candidate.”

Eby thanked Boutbee for her service and for the “faith you’ve placed in our team.”

“Deep gratitude to Amelia for her courage and commitment to her community. Her passionate leadership through the Summerland, Faulder and Meadow Valley wildfires was a shining example of public service in action,” Eby said.

In addition to Boultbee, Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth Brenda Bailey announced she was not running for reelection on Sept. 23, preceded by Minister of Health Ravi Kahlon and Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Kelly Greene, both of whom said Sept. 22 that they wouldn’t seek reelection.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Lana Popham also announced that she wouldn’t run again on Sept. 21.

The BC Conservatives, meanwhile, are assembling their roster of candidates under interim leader Doerkson, following the resignation of former Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay on Sept. 20 amid internal party strife.

The party said Sept. 23 that it plans to change its bylaws and constitution so that Doerkson can remain on as permanent leader if he becomes premier, as under current party rules an interim leader is not permitted to run to become permanent party leader.