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NOW MORE
THAN EVER, B.C. NEEDS STRONG ECONOMIC LEADERSHIP
By Carole
James
Leader,
New Democrat Opposition
With
its unique geography, natural wealth and diverse talent, British Columbia is
uniquely positioned to build a sustainable economy that helps stop climate
change and creates the green jobs of tomorrow.
But
to secure that future, we must lay the groundwork today – by making smart
investments in key sectors of our economy to create sustainable, good-paying
jobs and encourage future innovation and growth.
Unfortunately,
BC Liberal foot-dragging is threatening to cost us BC’s competitive edge. A
risk we simply cannot take at a time when families and businesses are looking
for leadership to guide us through a retracted period of economic
recovery.
One
only needs to look at two sectors of our economy that offer significant
promise of future growth – tourism, and the film and digital entertainment
sector – to see how BC Liberal inaction threatens to hold us back.
Historically,
BC has been one of the largest film and TV production centres
in North America. It’s a growing and competitive industry that brings not
only jobs, but future business opportunities for the province.
Industry
leaders are expressing concern that the BC Liberals have allowed the sector
to fall to a competitive disadvantage in relation to other jurisdictions like
Ontario and Quebec, with whom we compete for investment.
Since
July, these provinces have taken steps to strengthen their entertainment sectors,
with incentives such as improved tax credits. But the BC Liberals have failed
to take action to ensure our industry remains competitive.
New
Democrats have called for specific policies to protect and strengthen BC’s
film and television industry and capitalize on BC’s digital entertainment
sector. These proposals include enhanced tax credits, bonuses for television
series produced in BC in their initial years, and a special fund for BC-owned
film, television, and digital media projects.
Not
only are these proposals are concrete and attainable, they’re based on key
recommendations made by the industry. And they’ll encourage future economic
innovation by capitalizing on BC’s digital media potential.
These
types of smart investments will ensure BC’s film and entertainment industry
will continue to thrive.
Tourism
is another area that’s critical to BC’s economic future. It currently
sustains thousands of small businesses in BC and provides tens of thousands
of jobs.
Tourism
will be key to maintaining our prosperity as BC
shifts toward a greener, more sustainable economy in the fight against
climate change.
But
today, our tourism sector is facing significant challenges. And the BC
Liberals are making the problem even worse.
Last
year, we saw a significant decline in the number of tourists visiting from
the United States as well as Japan, Australia and Europe. These declines are
significant, especially in today’s economy when many businesses are
struggling to hang on.
The
BC Liberal response has been to eliminate Tourism BC without consultation
with the industry, cut tourism funding and impose a Harmonized Sales Tax,
which will hurt the sector and kill jobs.
A
report from the Council of Tourism Associations found that the B.C. Liberal
HST betrayal could cost us up to 10,000 jobs and $545 million in lost revenue
in the tourism sector alone.
And
while the government points to the Olympics as a potential source of
much-needed tourist revenue, their approach has
failed to generate results.
The
government's own studies showed that BC could have gained up to $500 million
in tourism business before the Olympics. Unfortunately, the government’s
approach has resulted in only a fraction of those potential returns –
estimated to be about $5 million.
What
BC needs now is a government that will capitalize on each and opportunity to
protect and grow tourism.
The
BC Liberals have failed to prepare us for that future. They’ve been focused
almost exclusively on the Olympics, with little attention to how we move our
economy forward after the 2010 Games. And we’re seeing the results in the
government’s own Progress Board report, which puts BC in second-last place in
the country fir economic growth.
Now
more than ever, BC needs strong economic leadership, to get our province back
on track.
New
Democrats have a positive vision for how to build a strong, modern economy
that works for everyone. But we must not lose sight of the fact that our
economic progress can only be measured by what it contributes to the well-being
of all British Columbians, and the land we love and share.
It’s
not just about growing our GDP or government revenues. It’s about creating
opportunities that contribute to the well being of others. To ensure that
when BC moves ahead, we all move ahead – and that no one is left behind.
We
aren’t the only jurisdiction who will be seeking to harness the potential of
these sectors in the new economy. And while we have tremendous advantages
going into that fight, it is up to government to foster the opportunities,
create the incentives and generate the environment in which these
opportunities can take root and thrive.
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