Support for Roberts Bank Terminal 2 as a Project of National Interest

October 1, 2026

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc
President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs, Internal Trade and One Canadian Economy

Via email: [email protected]

RE: Support for Roberts Bank Terminal 2 as a Project of National Interest

Dear Minister LeBlanc,

The BC Chamber of Commerce supports listing Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2) in Schedule 1 of the Building Canada Act as a project of national interest, and we make that case with chambers of commerce from British Columbia to Ontario. On behalf of our network of local chambers of commerce and boards of trade, representing more than 35,000 businesses across British Columbia, we join the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, each of which has written in support of the designation. 

Canada has set an objective of doubling exports to non-U.S. markets by 2035, and the west coast is the country’s gateway to the Indo-Pacific. In British Columbia, our members report shipping delays that interrupt production and leave businesses waiting on inventory, exporters who cannot count on getting products to customers, and importers facing added costs and difficulty planning. RBT2 would expand container capacity at the Port of Vancouver by roughly 50 per cent, and it is ready to proceed, with environmental approval in place, agreements reached with 27 First Nations and a construction partner selected. 

Our support also reflects a shared national agenda from the Chambers of the Federation. Provincial and territorial chambers of commerce from across Canada, from Atlantic Canada and Quebec to British Columbia and Nunavut, developed a joint policy framework for Canada’s premiers, An Agenda for a More Competitive Canada, with practical recommendations to strengthen trade competitiveness and growth in every region. Two of its priorities speak directly to RBT2. The framework calls for identifying and advancing nationally significant trade corridors, with provincial infrastructure investment aligned behind them. It also calls for accelerating approvals for nation-building projects in step with federal efforts, through clear service standards and less duplication between provincial and federal processes, in partnership with Indigenous nations and communities. 

Letters from our member chambers and our provincial counterparts show how far inland the port’s reach extends: 

• In Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, members describe manufacturers, food processors, construction suppliers, terminal operators and logistics firms whose production schedules, costs and confidence to invest rest on dependable port service. 

• In the Peace region and the East Kootenays, members point to agricultural, forest product and metallurgical coal exports that move through the port, and to time-sensitive supply deliveries for the oilfield sector. 

• In Alberta, B.C.’s ports serve as critical gateways for goods, commodities and resources moving from western Canada to international markets. 

• In Saskatchewan, a land-locked province that exports 70 per cent of what it produces relies on West Coast ports to move more than 21,000 tons of potash daily and more than 15 million metric tons of grain every year.
• In Manitoba, more than $4.5 billion in exports moved through the Port of Vancouver in 2024, and the province signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority in October 2025 to strengthen those supply chains. 

• In Ontario, RBT2’s benefits are expected to reach exporters, manufacturers, agri-food producers and the integrated supply chains that connect them to global markets. 

We ask the Government of Canada to designate RBT2 as a project of national interest and to carry it through a timely federal process with clear service standards. Our members add that the project should advance in continued coordination with the Province, Indigenous rights-holders, nearby communities and affected stakeholders, subject to applicable environmental conditions and regulatory oversight. Our counterparts in Alberta and Manitoba raise a point our own members share, that gateway capacity delivers its full value only when the rail and road corridors behind it keep pace, and we encourage planning for that capacity alongside the terminal. 

RBT2 serves businesses across the country, and its designation would recognize it as the national trade infrastructure it is. The BC Chamber stands ready to work with governments and project partners on its responsible advancement, and we will continue sharing what our chamber network is hearing. 

Sincerely,

Jen Riley
President & CEO
BC Chamber of Commerce

cc: Right Hon. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada
Hon. Steve Mackinnon, Minister of Transport