B.C.'s Proposed Tariff Response Risks Delaying, Not Streamlining, Natural Resource Project Approvals

I. Introduction and Overview

On March 13, 2025, the British Columbia government tabled Bill 7 for first reading, which, if passed, would enact the Economic Stablization (Tariff Response) Act. As is clear from the name, Bill 7 represents part of the provincial government's proposed response to the existential economic and political issues precipitated by the Trump administration.

Bill 7 has four key operative parts:

• Part 1 establishes mechanisms to remove internal trade barriers with other provinces and territories;
• Part 2 provides for directives in relation to government procurement of goods and services;
• Part 3 allows for tolls, fees and charges to be imposed for the use of various "provincial undertakings" (this would enable, among other things, the government's recently announced plan to toll U.S. trucks travelling to Alaska); and