B.C. premier on trade mission says Japanese companies expressing interest in LNG, critical minerals

Akshay Kulkarni · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 03, 2025 9:28 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

B.C. Premier David Eby, who is connected a 10-day commercialized ngo to East Asia, said that Japanese conglomerates person expressed involvement successful the province's liquefied earthy state (LNG) and captious mineral exports amid an uncertain planetary commercialized market.

U.S. President Donald Trump's increasingly protectionist stance and tariff threats person led the state to look astatine diversifying its commercialized relationships, fixed however overmuch it historically relied connected the U.S. arsenic a commercialized partner.

Eby's travel to Japan, South Korea and Malaysia is portion of that effort, with the premier looking to merchantability investors and governments connected the province's mining, earthy assets and softwood lumber sectors.

Speaking to reporters from Osaka, Japan, connected Tuesday afternoon, the premier said that Japanese conglomerates similar Mitsubishi and Nippon Steel displayed a keen consciousness of the province's copper and nickel exports successful meetings.

WATCH | Eby to miss archetypal ministers' meeting: 

"These companies person taken stakes successful projects successful British Columbia, and they wanted to cognize astir our plans for electrification, the North Coast Transmission Line, our enactment for the mining sector, permitting issues, however we're moving with First Nations," Eby told reporters.

"And truthful it was a precise utile treatment for a radical that was incredibly knowledgeable astir British Columbia."

Eby said that the companies and investors he's spoken to besides expressed involvement successful the $40B LNG Canada project located retired of Kitimat, B.C., which lone precocious came online and is expected to export 14 cardinal tonnes of earthy state a year.

"The [Japanese] authorities conscionable released a caller vigor program wherever they're phasing retired and reducing reliance connected dense oil," Eby said. "They are looking to earthy state arsenic a important bridging fuel, as good arsenic having discussions astir the enlargement of atomic here.

"But they stay precise committed to c contamination reduction, stay committed to addressing clime change, and they bash spot the LNG Canada task arsenic a important portion of their wide strategy."

Premier dismisses lifting tanker ban

At the first ministers' meeting successful Saskatoon with Prime Minister Mark Carney — which is being attended by Deputy Premier Niki Sharma alternatively of Eby — some Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith pushed the thought of a caller pipeline that brings occidental lipid to the bluish seashore of B.C. 

A antecedently projected pipeline met absorption from communities on the project's way and was efficaciously killed erstwhile the national authorities announced a moratorium connected lipid tankers on the North Coast successful 2016.

When asked astir the project, Eby said that helium didn't enactment lifting the tanker prohibition on the North Coast, and said his authorities supported the existing taxpayer-owned Trans Mountain Pipeline instead.

WATCH | Smith pushes for caller pipeline: 

"It's not my occupation to travel successful and archer Premier Ford that it's highly improbable that determination volition beryllium a passageway built nether the 401 [highway]," Eby said. 

"It's not my occupation to travel successful and archer Premier Smith that her imaginativeness for North Coast pipeline is many, galore years off."

Eby besides said that Trump's threats of doubling the tariff connected alloy and aluminum to 50 per cent by midnight ET connected Tuesday would beryllium devastating for some Canadian and Japanese businesses.

"The metallurgical ember that's produced successful British Columbia for steel-making is overmuch little c than the metallurgical ember that's produced successful different parts of the world. It's a precedence for Nippon Steel," the premier said.

"Obviously, erstwhile we person a large lawsuit for anthracite from British Columbia impacted by these tariffs, that's a interest for us."

WATCH | Indigenous person pulls retired of commercialized mission: 

The premier said that the national authorities should prioritize removing interior commercialized barriers and prioritize the travel of goods crossed the country, successful effect to Trump's tariff threats.

In Osaka, Eby is adjacent acceptable to conscionable with forestry companies and be an expo featuring products made successful B.C.

Tories knock trip

Even arsenic Eby continues to overgarment his Asian commercialized ngo arsenic a affirmative 1 for the province's economy, the Opposition B.C. Conservatives blasted the ngo arsenic a "damage power junket."

In a statement, Teresa Wat, the Opposition commercialized critic, said the NDP authorities had unopen down 13 commercialized offices successful 7 Asian countries successful 2019, meaning the state was present gathering commercialized relationships from the crushed up.

"If this B.C. NDP authorities had not unopen down 13 freestanding commercialized offices, we would not person to play catch-up erstwhile we are facing changeless threats of accrued U.S. tariffs," Wat said successful the statement.

Eby and the remainder of the B.C. delegation is acceptable to instrumentality to B.C. connected June 10.