BRUCE Ralston, Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology:

I am writing in response to the Indo-Canadian Voice article … regarding the comments from the Official Opposition about B.C.’s job numbers.

The facts are clear: British Columbia’s economy is strong and performing extremely well in every region of the province. Our province continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in Canada, as it has done for the last 15 months in a row.

I would like to point out that, when looking at longer trends, we’ve seen the growth of jobs by more than 42,000 this year, with 34,000 of them being full-time positions.  In addition, private sector jobs have grown considerably, up 50,300 compared to the same time last year.

Moreover, the Economic Forecast Council, composed of private sector economists, predicts that B.C.’s strong economy will outperform Canada’s economy over the next three years. For our government, a strong economy works for everyone. It means creating prosperity now, while meeting the challenges of tomorrow.

Our government is taking a different approach and tackling the biggest challenges facing B.C. We know it’s possible to build a prosperous, sustainable economy that works now and into the future for people in B.C.