B.C. Greens are accusing the B.C. NDP of falling back into old colonial patterns by fast-tracking resource projects in response to tariff threats from the United States. 

On Tuesday, the province released what it calls a preliminary list of 10 critical minerals, energy, and clean energy projects "that have a business case developed and need some type of permit or approval from government."

Said to represent an investment of $20 billion and employ about 8,000 people, the list was revealed Tuesday, a day after the United States agreed to pause the threatened imposition of tariffs on Canadian goods for 30 days. Most of the projects are located in B.C.'s rural north, an area likely to feel the worst effects of future tariffs. 

The B.C. Greens responded Tuesday evening with a release stating Eby is "falling back on the same old playbook" of LNG expansion and resource extraction is "repeating a familiar colonial cycle instead of laying the foundation for a strong, diversified future economy."

B.C. Green MLA Jeremy Valeriote (West Vancouver-Sea to Sky) said the government is doubling down on boom-and-bust industries instead of building a resilient economy.

"(It's a) short-sighted approach that lacks vision and leaves us just as vulnerable down the road."

The statement said speeding up processes strips away environmental oversight and removes protections that keep communities safe. It also questioned whether the projects are reconcilable with Indigenous rights.

The list partially emerged out of a task force that includes Indigenous representation and several of the projects involve direct First Nations ownership. 

The province previously announced in December that wind farms tied to BC Hydro's call for power wouldn't be subject to environmental assessments. It had also pledged to speed up permitting following last year's close provincial election. 

Premier David Eby said Saturday the projects included on the list emerged after government asked major business organizations to submit proposals that could quickly employ workers and not be dependent on the American market.

Ultimately, the Greens argue they don't represent that goal; instead, they threaten B.C.'s long-term economic viability by further exposing it to outside economic forces. 

B次元官网网址淭he Premier himself has said, B次元官网网址榃e wonB次元官网网址檛 leave our prosperity to the whims of unpredictable forces beyond our borders,B次元官网网址�" Valeriote said. "Yet the global oil and gas market is exactly that B次元官网网址� unpredictable."

Valeriote acknowledged that the Trump tariffs represent a "challenge" but also a "reminder and an opportunity" to re-jig the provincial economy. "Tariffs or no tariffs, this economic transition is overdue," he said. 

He added B.C. that should use the next 30 days to get this transition right, "instead of knee-jerk expansion of the status quo.B次元官网网址�