Christy Clark Urges Economic Shift Ahead of BC Election

Former British Columbia Premier Christy Clark addressed the Vancouver Island Economic Summit in Nanaimo on October 21, 2026, arguing that recent municipal election results in the Lower Mainland signal a public desire for governance changes. Speaking ahead of the October 24 provincial election, Clark urged voters to participate actively and criticized the economic model established since 2017, claiming the public sector has grown at the expense of the private sector.

Clark advocated for the revitalization of the aquaculture and forest industries. She specifically opposed a planned federal ban on open-net salmon farming scheduled for 2029, stating the move would have bad impacts on many Indigenous communities. She further emphasized that Indigenous communities must be treated as economic partners who share in the wealth derived from their lands.

To counter an ongoing trade war with the United States, Clark suggested that British Columbia and Vancouver Island leverage deep-sea ports in Nanaimo and Port Alberni to diversify trade with Asia. She argued that the province must improve its economic environment to attract private sector investment, warning that a lack of such investment eventually leaves the economy without funds.