David Eby is saying all the right things- but does he mean it?
In a province where economic and environmental stakes are so tightly intertwined, the ability to strike a balance isn’t just a political victory—it could define a legacy.
The crowd erupted in laughter, absorbed into applause, as BC Premier David Eby delivered his opening remarks at the BC Natural Resources Forum in Prince George.
“Ordinarily, I’d start my remarks with a joke, but it’s a sensitive international time, and I know how Donald Trump feels about Canadian icebreakers.”
It was a good joke—sharp, topical, and clever. But even the best humour relies on connection with the audience. At the same conference two years ago, David Eby had only been leader for a couple of months, and the crowd was curious but couldn’t be described as warm. The newly minted premier took the stage, nearly 7 feet of him hunched over the microphone, and he delivered a speech that could best be described as NDP Bread and Butter. He touched on opportunities in hydrogen energy but swiftly pivoted into the themes of his then-recent leadership campaign: housing, environment and healthcare. The themes were top of mind for BC voters then, and still are today- but BCNRF is a room full of natural resource producers, pipeline companies, policy analysts and service partners, among others. Companies fly entire Government Relations teams to Prince George from across Canada and around the world every year to discuss the province’s energy future. And so, as the Premier waxed on about his plan to accelerate housing development, many plaid-jacketed executives cocked their heads and squinted up at the stage, trying to figure out where the dots connected back to natural resources. Polite applause followed as attendees looked around the room for knowing glances, confirmation that they, too, found the speech bewildering.
In the days and hours that followed, government relations experts and consultants parsed many words to decide whether the omission of the phrase “LNG” was an intentional slight. The truth is much simpler: David Eby and his team just needed some practice.
This year, the Premier showed up to BCNRF armed with a list of examples of natural resource projects proposed and operational throughout the province. He kicked off with a telling statement, “We are obviously and incredibly fortunately blessed with natural resources in this province, but it is not sufficient to have them. They need to be developed.” It's an obvious counter to anyone still wondering if Premier Eby would prefer to keep it in the ground. He continued to heap measured praise on the industry, repeating a line that went over very well at the BC Chamber of Commerce in December, “you can't pour from an empty cup. In order to share the prosperity of this province, to lift everybody up, we have to create wealth, and we have to do it together.”
Demonstrating another hard lesson learned, not to show up to a party empty-handed, Premier Eby also came with goodies. He promised to work to eliminate red tape and bureaucratic processes, and he announced the expansion of electrical transmission, saying that getting clean power to resource businesses across the province is a priority.
There is an undercurrent at every business conference or luncheon, a feeling shared amongst attendees on the trade show floor as they ask one another “whadja think of the Premier’s speech?” Since the BC NDP squeaked out a one-seat majority election win last year- the Premier has promised a reset with the business community. The tone of his speeches is now far more economically focused and sprinkled with industry buzzwords. He’s promised a public sector freeze, a regulatory fast track and has repeated the phrase LNG at every opportunity. But the whispers among luncheon and conference goers have been, “Does he mean it?” Is this a genuine policy pivot or merely rhetoric designed to appease the business community?
The short answer -- he has to mean it. This shift in tone reflects a broader political calculation driven by economic and political necessity.
First, the last provincial budget projected a 9.4% average increase in natural resource revenue over the next two years, but these projections rely heavily on market stability and successful LNG operations. With potential volatility in natural gas prices and ongoing debates over LNG’s environmental impacts, achieving these targets may prove more difficult than the budget suggests. Still, the bottom line remains true- BC needs natural resources revenue even to come close to hitting its budget targets. The province’s ability to export LNG to Asian markets becomes even more critical to BC and Canada’s economic security as the threat of 25% tariffs hangs over Canada’s exports to the United States.
Perhaps more salient for any government that wins by one seat is political impetus. BC has nearly become a two-party political system. Like every progressive provincial party in Canada at the moment, there is a lot of crossover between BC NDP voters and would-be Pierre Poilievre supporters. The NDP is the natural choice for voters who care most about healthcare, education, and housing, but to win over the centre and maintain its majority status, the BC NDP also needs to speak the language of the centre—economics.
The question for political watchers and public affairs professionals shouldn’t be, "Does he mean it?” It should be, "Can he pull it off?”
Progress with industry will inevitably amplify environmental criticism. Despite its reputation as a clean transition fuel, environmental groups and some Indigenous communities cite concerns about emissions, water use, and the broader impacts on ecosystems.
The NDP’s challenge isn’t just about advancing LNG and other resource development—it’s about proving that the projects align with the province’s climate commitments. While the government has cited LNG’s potential to displace coal in Asian markets, critics argue that this rationale doesn’t absolve BC of its responsibility to cut emissions at home. For the BC NDP, proving they can advance major projects without abandoning their commitment to fight climate change is a delicate tightrope walk, requiring pragmatic leadership and unwavering communication with members and the public.
In short, if Premier Eby can deliver on his promise to “fill the province’s cup” by fostering economic growth while staying true to the progressive values that brought his government to power, he may have found the formula for lasting political success. In a province where economic and environmental stakes are so tightly intertwined, the ability to strike this balance isn’t just a political victory—it could define a legacy.