The expansion of the Red Chris copper and gold mine in northwestern B.C. has been listed by Prime Minister Mark Carney as a "nation-building" project he wants to accelerate.

The mine, which sits on Tahltan Nation land, would have its lifespan extended by more than a decade as part of the project.

"It's an important step in reconciliation and further developing the potential of northern B.C.," Carney said.

But as the CBC's Lyndsay Duncombe explains, the federal government has nothing to do with approving the mine's expansion — that's up to the province, Tahltan Nation and the mine's owner.

And while there's big economic opportunities in copper — which is used in solar panels, electric vehicles, transmission lines, AI data centres and battery storage — there's also environmental concerns

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