Resource jobs key, says Clark
Premier says her party only 1 that can stand up for B.C. workers
VANCOUVER — With just over a week left in British Columbia’s election campaign, the leaders spent Sunday out on the hustings trying to shore up votes.
Campaigning in the Kootenays, B.C. Liberal Leader Christy Clark repeated her party’s promise to protect jobs in resource industries like forestry and mining.
Last week, the U.S. introduced tariffs of up to 24 per cent on Canadian lumber, and Clark said her party is the only one that can stand up for B.C. workers in the face of rising protectionism.
“The NDP can’t do it. The Greens won’t do it. Not when they have opposed so many of the jobs we already have in British Columbia,” she said during a campaign stop at a hardware store in Invermere.
Clark’s party also reiterated a promise Sunday to bring ride-sharing to B.C. by December 2017, saying in a release that new legislation would be tabled in the first session following the election.
The Liberals also announced a carsharing tax credit at an annual cost of $1.5 million.
Meanwhile, New Democrat Leader John Horgan campaigned around the Lower Mainland, repeating his party’s pledge to make life more affordable for British Columbians.
The message is striking a chord with people who have consistently seen their cost of living rise under the Liberal government, he said.
“The Liberals are saying ‘This is as good as it gets.’ And the public’s saying ‘We can do better than this.’ And a better B.C. is nine days away.”
Horgan said his campaign is building momentum, and there’s an energy and excitement in the air that he hasn’t seen for a “long, long time.”
“The Liberals want desperately to hold on to power for the wealthy and the wellconnected, and the people are desperate for a government that works for them,” he said.
VICTORIA — A hefty American tariff on Canadian softwood could be devastating for British Columbia’s economy, but it may also be advantageous for political leaders on the campaign trail who are looking to cement or build their images with voters, says a former premier.
The imposition of tariffs as high as 24 per cent on Canadian softwood exports shot the issue to the top of B.C.’s election campaign, with Liberal Leader Christy Clark and John Horgan, leader of the New Democrats, quickly portraying themselves as towers of strength ready to shoulder tough times ahead.
Forestry is B.C.’s dominant resource industry, directly employing more than 60,000 people in more than 140 communities. The United States is B.C.’s largest market for softwood lumber, accounting for $4.6 billion in sales last year.
Clark seized upon the tariff issue as pivotal to her jobs-focused reelection campaign. She told B.C. workers she had their backs and suggested Horgan did not have the temperament or strength to handle such a comprehensive issue with provincial, national and international implications.
Clark demanded Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ban the shipment of thermal coal through B.C.’s ports in retaliation for the tariffs. She said Friday if Trudeau did not take retaliatory action she was prepared to go it alone and impose a heavy tax on U.S. coal shipments through B.C. ports.
Horgan said the threats ring hollow because Clark has been silent on softwood even though the trade deal between Canada and the U.S. expired more than two years ago. He said now that B.C. is in the final days of an election campaign, Clark is suggesting it’s her top-of-mind concern.
“She’s obviously trying to present herself as a calm, experienced leader,” said Ujjal Dosanjh, a former B.C. New Democrat premier and federal Liberal member of Parliament. “Whether she succeeds or not remains to be seen.”
He said the hard negotiations on the softwood file will be conducted by officials linked to the Canadian and U.S. governments, but Clark’s strategy to focus on her history as a determined politician, her experience and charisma are all factors weighing in her favour with voters.
“That may stand you in good stead,” said Dosanjh.
David Black, an associate professor at the Royal Roads University school of communication and culture in Victoria, said Clark is offering voters symbolic reassurance on an issue over which she has little control.
“It’s fascinating to watch a provincial leader position herself as a peer of, and as a dialogue partner with, a national leader,” he said. “Things don’t usually work that way.”
Black said Clark’s suggestions about the threats B.C. faces from softwood tariffs and the possibility of further protectionist actions from the U.S. administration position her as “a resolute leader who is seasoned and tried and true. So, let’s stay the course because it’s a dangerous world.”
He said Horgan is campaigning as an economic populist ready to fight to make life better for people, while Green Leader Andrew Weaver presents himself as a new face of politics that is neither right nor left.