Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to visit Coastal First Nations in northern British Columbia before embarking on his journey to China, a government source revealed to CBC News. The source, who preferred to remain anonymous, indicated that the meeting is expected to address various topics, including ongoing major projects in the area and strategies for ensuring sustainable and collaborative development between the federal government and Indigenous communities.
Carney is scheduled to depart on Tuesday after the late Monday meeting with Coastal First Nations. The government’s primary focus during the discussions will revolve around shared priorities such as marine conservation, ocean protection, and empowering Indigenous groups to take the lead in these initiatives.
Accompanying Carney on the visit will be Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson, Housing Minister Gregor Robertson, and B.C. Liberal MP Wade Grant. Following the meeting, Carney will kick off an eight-day journey that includes stops in China, Qatar, and Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum.
Near Prince Rupert lies the proposed Ksi Lisims liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in northern British Columbia, one of the key projects identified by both the federal and provincial governments for expedited permitting and approval processes. The facility aims to export 12 million tonnes of LNG annually to Asian markets and is being developed in collaboration with the Nisga’a Nation, although it is currently facing legal challenges from other First Nations.
Coastal First Nations, consisting of nine Indigenous communities in the region, have strongly opposed the potential construction of an oil pipeline to the North Coast of British Columbia. Despite the memorandum of understanding between Ottawa and Alberta, signed by Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith last year, outlining a potential path for the pipeline and the removal of an oil tanker ban along B.C.’s North Coast, Coastal First Nations remain adamant that the pipeline project will not proceed.