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Insight
BC Chamber Policy News |
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BC Chamber hosts prime minister, talks trade
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The BC Chamber was delighted to host Prime Minister Stephen Harper on March 12, in a Q & A session focused on B.C.'s trade opportunities.
The prime minister, fresh off the plane from signing a free-trade deal with South Korea, spoke about how B.C. is best-poised, of any province in Canada, to capitalize on this agreement.
In a discussion with BC Chamber CEO John Winter, Harper spoke about how international trade opportunities can benefit B.C. businesses of all sizes, by enabling them to participate in global supply chains and grow business.
He also spoke about his interest in expanding NAFTA, particularly with regards labour mobility.
The prime minister emphasized that, in the wake of the South Korea deal, Canada's attention will be squarely on moving forward with the Trans Pacific Partnership, to further strengthen trade links with the Asia Pacific region.
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B.C.'s Chambers welcome Canada-South Korea free trade deal
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Chambers from across B.C. welcomed the successful conclusion of a Canada-South Korea free trade deal, which gives B.C. businesses enhanced access to South Korea's $1.1 trillion economy.
"This trade deal is a coup for B.C.," said John Winter, president and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce. "It gets our foot in the door in Asia and benefits virtually every region and sector of our economy."
This agreement is Canada's first with an Asian market. Winter noted that, given B.C.'s strong trade ties to South Korea, the deal is particularly meaningful to the West Coast.
"South Korea is Canada's seventh-largest trading partner, but B.C.'s fourth-largest," he said. "B.C. already exports more than half of all Canadian goods headed to South Korea. This deal will help B.C. further capitalize on this market of 50 million consumers." More
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BC Chamber welcomes Canada-B.C. agreement on Canada Job Grant
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The BC Chamber has welcomed the news that B.C. and Canada have signed an agreement in principle on the Canada Job Grant.
The agreement in principle signed March 11 includes the renewal of the Labour Market Agreement - now renamed the Canada Job Fund - and the creation of the Canada Job Grant.
Backed by local Chambers, the BC Chamber has engaged extensively with the federal government to highlight the need for flexibility in the Canada Job Grant program, and for an implementation approach that meets B.C.'s needs and avoids a cookie-cutter approach.
The BC Chamber has also highlighted the value of programs such as B.C.'s Micro Business Training program, which provides training to employers, and encouraged government to ensure that the Canada Job Grant is similarly effective in meeting employers' actual needs.
The BC Chamber will continue to engage on this file, to bring the needs of B.C. employers before both tiers of government.
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BC Chamber engaging with government on ferry service cuts
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The BC Chamber is engaging with government on two issues facing B.C.'s ferry-dependent communities: sensitivity to fare hikes and economic impact of service reductions.
Read our recent letter to government (PDF).
The BC Chamber network is broadly supportive of a more economically sustainable ferry system and passed a policy to that effect in 2013. Since recent cuts were announced, however, a number of Chambers in ferry-dependent communities have raised concerns about the impact of service reductions on local economies.
The BC Chamber will engage with government on how to pursue a more sustainable ferry system while mitigating economic impacts on B.C. communities.
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Rejection of New Prosperity a loss for B.C., Chamber says
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 | | In December, the BC Chamber led a group of B.C. business heavyweights in a show of public support for the project |
The federal government's rejection of the New Prosperity project devastates the Cariboo-Chilcotin region's efforts to regroup and diversify its economy after the mountain pine beetle epidemic gutted the area's forestry industry.
"It's hard to see this decision as anything but catastrophic for communities like Williams Lake, 100 Mile House and Quesnel," said John Winter, president and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce.
Winter said these communities have been an example of British Columbian resilience, working tirelessly to regroup after the mountain pine beetle epidemic.
"They did everything right: They picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and found a way to take their economy forward. That way forward was New Prosperity," he said. "Now, that appears to be lost too."
The New Prosperity project would, through direct and indirect jobs, benefit tens of thousands of people in Williams Lake, around the Cariboo region and through the supply chain across the province. This project would also bring significant job opportunities for Aboriginal youth in the region. More
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