Premier Christy Clark may have had to wait to launch her jobs plan, but it’s been well worth waiting for, especially the announcement of funding to help get phase 1 of the Prince Rupert port expansion underway.It’s a key project that will create jobs throughout British Columbia for decades.The premier’s vision for B.C. to be the economic engine for a 21st-century Canada is timely and forward thinking, but clearly it’s something neither NDP nor the BC Conservative Party (BCC) seem to get.While NDP Leader Adrian Dix talks off the top of his head about training credits for job categories that don’t exist in B.C. and, therefore, have no relevance, [BCC Leader] John Cummins haphazardly flips and flops his way across the province leaving a trail of contradictory policies and statements.B.C. needs new dollars, but how are we going to get them if we simply stand back and watch the world go by as Mr. Dix and Mr. Cummins seem to be suggesting in their criticism of the premier’s jobs plan? The only way we can bring new dollars into the province is by opening up our doors to greater trade with the rapidly expanding Asia-Pacific markets. After all, the best defence of jobs in our economy is a strong offense that aggressively markets and then delivers our products and services to the world.So, if the economy is the engine and B.C. is the car, I’m one person who is very happy Christy Clark is in the driver’s seat, with her foot the economic accelerator, while Mr. Dix and Mr. Cummins are sitting in the back seat where they belong. Brian BonneyBurnaby
