An open letter to the British Columbia mining sector.

April 29, 2026

The British Columbia Mining Sector
c/o Benjamin Lawton
Executive Director
The Bedrock Network
[email protected]

Dear Mr. Lawton & Mining Industry Colleagues,

Thank you for your letter requesting my policies regarding the mining industry.

Mining was the centerpiece of wealth building in B.C. over the last century. As British Columbia’s next Premier, I intend to set up policies, platforms and programs to ensure that the next century of prosperity in B.C. will once again be driven by the mining industry.

As Premier, my government will repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) as soon as possible. Furthermore, my government will lift any and all suspensions of the terms of the Mineral Tenure Act as a result of DRIPA or DRIPA-like language in other statutes.

With respect to Indigenous relations, consultation may be mandatory pursuant to Section 35 of the Constitution Act. However, B.C. needs a regime that clearly states that consultation does not mean consent.

My government will also introduce statutory limitations on timelines for consultations. The plan will be to overhaul the mining permitting system so that the onus is not on miners to prove that it can work, but on the government to prove that mining operations should be delayed. Otherwise permits are guaranteed after a defined time span. The governing rule of the day under a Kerry-Lynne Findlay led B.C. Conservative government will be that claims-holders have the right to exploit their resource by default.

There will be statutory time limits for permit approvals, not endless time and regulatory scope creep. I will introduce legislation that caps the upper limit of consultation timelines and will direct my government to create one stop permitting.

Our mining companies are the most collaborative, professional and generous in the world. Every mining company that applies for permits will be subject to a reasonable timeline for approval or denial.

Indigenous communities across B.C. have seen the prosperity that comes with partnership with mining proponents and are strategically located near major mineral reserves and can provide logistical and labour force support to projects. I have confidence Indigenous communities will have every reason to secure prosperity for themselves by backing B.C. mining projects, rather than obstructing them under onerous DRIPA regulatory restrictions.

My government will work with the railway industry to double rail and port capacity through my Policy for a Western Alliance comprising B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan. The development of new transportation corridors through this initiative will expand British Columbia’s export capacity for natural resources from our mining industry to world markets. The Western Alliance will work collaboratively to lobby the federal government to ensure that Confederation and the Constitution works for British Columbians and British Columbia industries.

I thank you for your inquiry and look forward to working closely with the mining industry to ensure the prosperity of all British Columbians.

Yours very truly,

Kerry-Lynne Findlay, P.C., K.C.