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From his office on Parliament Hill to the north western corner of Canada, the Minister of International Trade François-Philippe Champagne paid a visit to Prince Rupert for the port authority’s 10th anniversary of Fairview Container Terminal and the official completion of the $200 million Phase 2 North expansion project.
Federal ministers don’t often visit Prince Rupert. In January 2016, the federal Minister of Transport Marc Garneau came to the city to meet with industry leaders, the port authority and coastal First Nations with regards to the moratorium on crude oil tankers in the region. But last September, when the federal government offered its approval of the Pacific NorthWest LNG project the announcement was made in Vancouver.
Now, with Prince Rupert as an established and burgeoning trade hub where Canadian and U.S. goods are delivered and products from Asia are received, the federal minister of international trade came to speak at the event and to media on what this means for the rest of Canada and the region.
NV: Is this your first time to Prince Rupert?
First time in Prince Rupert, listen this is like a blessing. I was told it’s always sunshine in Prince Rupert and I start believing it. We had a great event today, it was important for me to be there.
I met with the CEO and chairman of DP World [Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem] when we were in Dubai and I knew about this great investment. This is all about people. I think what we are celebrating today is all about people. The vision of the port authority, the longshore men and women who are making that happen.
I was sitting next to him and we were saying, you know, great assets are only good when you have great people and I often say the strength that we have here in B.C., and in Prince Rupert, is investment follows talent.
If you have talent you can attract big players, COSCO, global players, who are deciding to make Prince Rupert a major hub. This is unprecedented. Canada is diversifying, and in B.C. we understand it.
More than 48 per cent of our exports go elsewhere other than the United States and if there is a place in Canada where we understand that diversification is key it’s here in B.C. and in Prince Rupert.
NV: How important is Prince Rupert as a gateway to the federal government?
I came here for Phase 2 and I’m already impressed about what I’m seeing. You heard the chairman of DP World say when you cross the threshold of one million containers a lot of things are possible, you can only increase from there.
So I have all faith, they are very active in our country. I spoke with the CEO of COSCO as well. My job is to represent Canadians and to promote what we can attract, make sure that trade is real for people because all these investments translate to jobs for the middle class, and hopefully more choice for consumers and better prices.
It’s not just exports, it’s about import.
There’s a lot of small and medium size businesses here that are going to benefit. We heard about First Nations, women in business, this is what Canada stands for, progressive trade and when you see big players, international players choosing us, it says a lot about what Canada stands for in the world.
I often say let’s seize the moment, let’s be ambitious, let’s be progressive, that’s why people come and invest in our country.
NV: How does the government view the future of Prince Rupert beyond Phase 3?
Well listen, it’s already amazing news that we have today. I can only think that the best is yet to come. When you hear that investors like them, those are investors that when you look at the planet as their playground. They can be here, they can be anywhere.
When they chose to be here, for me, that says a lot to the people of Prince Rupert and B.C. That if they made a deliberate choice to invest here it’s because we have something unique to offer and we need to build on that and I think it starts with people.
NV: How does the Port of Prince Rupert, specifically, affect the rest of Canada and fill the government’s coffers?
I think when you’re looking at our trade agenda, we’re very much a Pacific nation, we’re becoming a bridge between the Pacific and the Atlantic. Big ports like Prince Rupert are helping, also our trade, because we know our trade is also now coming from the U.S. through Prince Rupert, so what is important when you build a country is that you have the whole logistic chain that allows goods to go to market.
That’s the investment that the federal government did. [In 2005, the federal government gave the port authority a $30 million grant toward building Fairview Terminal.] That’s why we are a part of this investment and why we’re proud of it. Because after all this translates into jobs.
I was talking to the [DP World] chairman, we were looking at different things across the country. The free trade agreement in Europe is coming into force. That’s also opening up, we’re opening up both on the west coast and the east coast.
NV: Anything you’d like to add?
Thank you to the people of Prince Rupert. I’ve been charmed by Prince Rupert. Everyone told me come and you’ll see — and now you have one more ambassador of Prince Rupert around the world.
