Home »
Clark talks LNG, BCTF and Bennett in Cranbrook speech
While dozens of B.C. Teachers Federation (BCTF) union members and supporters lined the strip in front of Cranbrookâs Heritage Inn July 10, protesting the provinceâs treatment of teachers, Premier Christy Clark touted the importance of the fledgling liquefied natural gas industry as needed to ensuring vital services remain funded in the province.
Clark opened her speech to about 160 Cranbrook and District Chamber of Commerce members and Rotary Club of Cranbrook members by offering Rotary Club president Laurie Goodlad âa happy dollarâ because she was so happy to be back in Cranbrook.
Clark leaned into humour on occasion during her 15-minute address to a packed conference room.
Pointing out her son is âhalf Dutchâ she explained they had been rooting for the Netherlands in the World Cup. As the team fell to Argentina in the semi-finals, she quipped, âItâs been a bad year for the guys in orange,â referring to the Dutch team colour and BC NDP.
Clark said a combination of âgood luck and hard workâ have resulted in British Columbia remaining a vibrant province, economically and socially.
âWhen you combine good luck with hard work, it is amazing what you can accomplish,â she said, relating a story about her Scottish grandfather who came to Canada at the age of 16 âwithout two nickels to rub together.â
He landed work at Hudsonâs Bay Company but in a few years found himself back in Europe in a Canadian Expeditionary Force uniform and fighting in the First World War.
âHe fought for three or four years; weâre not sure (exactly how long) because he never spoke about the war,â she said, noting he had âgood luckâ to come home when so many didnât.
More good luck awaited on his arrival home. HBC had the noble practice of continuing pay for employees who enlisted in the armed forces and when he returned home to Canada he had âmore money than heâd ever had beforeâ and applied those funds to education, enrolling in medical school. He would go onto become one of the top civil servants in Canada.
Her grandfather is proof that good luck and hard work will pay off, Clark said.
B.C. has the good luck of having an estimated trillion dollars in natural gas reserves.
Natural gas âis an opportunity like one we have never seen before,â she said.
Because natural gas is being found all over North America, the market here isnât great. But liquefying it and shipping it to Asia means the market is much more lucrative, Clark said.
âIf we donât do it, there isnât much market for what we have now,â she said.
The Premier pointed out that a bolstered liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry would create 100,000 âdependable, high paying jobsâ and the tax spin off to the province would be enormous.
âIt is a chance to pay off the debt for ever for our children,â Clark said, noting key decisions are coming fast, such a possible $36 billion in investment by PetroMas which could be finalized by December.
Clark said there are currently a dozen corporations, Canadian and international, ready to invest $250 billion.
âIf you really want to grasp opportunities in times of tremendous change, you have to reach out,â she said. âRather than manage decline we can grow because we are lucky,â but hard worked is needed.
Clark then turned to B.C.âs current fiscal affairs and proudly noted, âWeâve balanced our budget for the first time since 2008.â
A key player in balancing the provincial books is Cranbrookâs own Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett, she said.
Bennett not only balanced his Ministry of Energy and Mines budget but as Minister of Core Review he has found ways for the province to save money, or transfer to other more needed areas.
âBill has met all his targets in the core review,â Clark said.
Bennettâs voice is vital in Victoria, especially for rural British Columbians, Clark continued.
âBill has a credible voice â a voice people listen to in the press galleryâ and elsewhere inside the capital. He is a connection between rural and urban B.C., she said.
âPeople need to know where it is they get the money for those lattes,â she said of the Lower Mainland population mass. Two out of every three dollars in B.C. come from rural B.Câs resource sector, she explained.
With that in mind, a continued focus on building the resource sector economy, not just LNG but mining, forestry, agriculture and more are a must, Clark said.
âYou canât build an economy on âno,ââ she said, adding, âNot many of you would refer to Bill as a âyes manâ but heâs all about finding a way to get to yes.â
In turn, Bennett spoke glowingly of his boss. âWe are extremely lucky Christy Clark appeared on the scene when she did,â Bennett told the luncheon audience. Who thought we were going to win in May of 2013? Christy Clark did,â he said.
Following Clarkâs speech, she fielded a number of questions, the first being the anticipated question about the ongoing BCTF strike, which appears destined to begin anew in September.
Clark defended the provinceâs education record as the best in Canada.
âIt is not perfect by any stretch,â she said, suggesting that âyears of bickeringâ between teachers and the Ministry of Education have led people to believe otherwise.
Clark said she doesnât see what else the province can do to satisfy the BCTF at this time but is hopeful a solution can be found.
â
Weâve put about $1.2 billion on the tableâ for wages and class composition support, she said. âItâs significantâ but the BCTF wants $2.2 billion more.
âMy bottom line is I believe teachers deserve a fair raiseâ but classroom conditions must also be improved, she said.
âWe have to find a way to get kids out of the middle of this. There is nothing more frustrating than a fight between adults that hurts kids and it is time for that to end,â she declared, noting sheâd like to see 10 years of labour peace come from this.
On a side note, Clark told the audience that her government is well aware of the need for provincial government funding for the Cranbrook Salvation Army shelter and they are working to try and fund some support.
âI donât underestimate Billâs ability to get it done,â she said.
Following her lunchtime visit to Cranbrook, Clark headed to Kimberley and Fernie for more appointments.
Chamber president Dave Butler president the Premier with several gifts on behalf of the community following her speech.
Lead image: Premier Clark, centre, with Devon Kennedy – 2014 Sweetheart of Sam Steele and Kendall Bostock, 2014 Princess of Sam Steele.
Ian Cobb/e-KNOW