[PRESS RELEASE] – VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 26, 2026 – The Cannabis Cultivators of British Columbia (CCBC) congratulates Premier Lorne Doerkson and the newly elected B.C. Conservative government and welcomes its commitment to recognize cannabis as an economic development and job-creation opportunity for British Columbia. The Conservative platform commits to moving responsibility for cannabis into Economic Development and developing a strategy focused on economic growth and job creation. CCBC strongly welcomes this direction and looks forward to working with the new government to put it into action.
“This is an important recognition of how far B.C.'s cannabis industry has come and what it can contribute to the province's economic future,” CCBC Chair Julia Cameron said. “Cannabis is already B.C.’s top crop and a significant manufacturing and export industry. Bringing the file into Economic Development and committing to a strategy focused on growth and jobs creates an opportunity to approach the sector with the same economic ambition we bring to other major B.C. industries.”
In 2025, B.C.'s licensed cannabis sector contributed approximately $2.65 billion to provincial GDP, an increase of approximately 49% in a single year. More than 90% of the sector's GDP contribution is generated by production. The sector supports approximately 5,300 jobs, generates approximately $190 million in annual tax revenue and produces approximately 25% of Canada's cannabis flower, highlighting the central role producers play in creating value, employment and economic activity.
B.C. also has significant room to grow. Cannabis businesses continue to face high costs to build, operate and scale, barriers to mainstream economic supports, competition from the illicit market and a complex regulatory environment, even as global medical cannabis markets expand.
“B.C.’s leadership position should not be taken for granted,” CCBC Vice Chair Margaret Brodie said. “We already have the businesses, infrastructure, expertise and global reputation to be a world leader in cannabis. With a focused economic development strategy, we believe B.C. can double the jobs supported by the sector, significantly grow exports and accelerate the transition from the illicit market to the regulated economy. The opportunity is already here. The focus now should be on turning that advantage into greater economic value for British Columbia.”
CCBC's Growing B.C.'s Cannabis Economy plan provides a roadmap for a provincial cannabis economic development strategy focused on recognizing cannabis as a priority economic sector, reducing the cost of doing business, growing exports, strengthening the B.C. legal market and leading national regulatory modernization. CCBC looks forward to working with the new government to translate its platform commitment into action and grow the sector's contribution to jobs, investment and economic growth.
