Jobs Plan Tops for 2011 Says Bell
Thursday, December 29, 2011 @ 3:59 AM
Prince George, B.C.- The highlight of the past year for Minister of Jobs Tourism and Innovation, Pat Bell, was the jobs strategy put forth by Christy Clark’s team “ I think for the first time we have a jobs strategy that represents all of the best things of British Columbia, and really has a focus on rural B.C.”
The jobs plan focuses on eight sectors:
1. Forestry
2. Mining
3. Natural Gas
4. Agrifoods
5. Tourism
6. Transportation
7. International Education
8. Technology
Bell says when you look at the eight sectors, it speaks directly to the benefits of growing the rural economy. “When you look at most of the predictions now in terms of what’s going to happen in Northern B.C. in the next ten years, I think we are in for a very, very strong period of time. So that would be the highlight ( of 2011) for me.”
As for the year ahead, Bell expects it will be a very busy one “I think there could be lots of things that hit us internationally that could be a challenge for us. Clearly Europe is still in turmoil, the United States, it’s unclear where they are going economically, and what the picture might look like over the next few years. So I think there’s still lots of risk, lots of turmoil and I think we could be confronted with things we are not anticipating today, and it will be our ability to react to those quickly that will be the test of whether we are able to move our economy forward as aggressively as we had hoped to. I’ve lots of confidence in China and India and what’s going to happen over there. I think Korea, South Korea, will be, I think, stable. Japan will start going through a period of economic growth as it recovers from the earthquake and tsunami. So really it will come down to a question of can we overcome what confronts us in Europe and in the United States and take advantage of the Asian market place.”
Comments
blah blah blah blah…………….
Guest Jobs!?
I thought the BIG story would be that they can’t stop the B.C. Place roof from leaking.
When Bell speaks, does anybody hear anything? All I hear is the sound of a muted trumpet (like the Peanuts cartoons)…. wah wah wah.
I’m not sure why lots of people on this site have a hate-on for Pat Bell. More of the vocal minority?
Where are all these jobs being created by having an HST??????????? Maybe we need to make a new job for the guy that is supposed to get us back to the PST because the fellow on the post now is obviously incompetent.
If you use more question marks, is that supposed to make the point more valid?
Hate is a pretty strong word JohnnyBelt. I simply find that Bell has little to no substance to his messages. It’s the same babble over and over again. He’s a Top Ramen Noodle politician. Satisfying for the very short term but no value in the long run.
Bell always talks and takes credit for things that would have happened regardless of him or the Liberal Government.
However when it comes to things that he and his Government are responsible for, such as the implementation of the HST, and their seeming inability to get rid of this tax sooner, rather than later, you get a wall of silence from Bell and the Government.
Bell and Bond are our representatives in this area. Lets hear something of substance from them on the HST, and when we can expect this tax to disapear.
Better still lets hear what Bell/Bond has done to get rid of this tax sooner rather than later. Have they discussed the matter with the Premier??? Have they received any information from the less than illustrious Kevin Falcon??? If so, can they share this information with their constituents.
Lets get something more than hyberbole from our highly paid MLA’s
Since the implementation of the HST and the time it takes to get rid of it. Ie; March 2013, the Provincial Government stands to make an additional $3 Billion in tax revenue. Where is this money going???
We are being hoodwinked by the Government. They are taking all the time possible to get rid of this tax because they want to collect as much money as possible before the next election.
And why are they not protecting us from the gouging at the fuel pumps? Well because they are collecting extra taxes with the artificially inflated prices. How many jobs have been created by the carbon tax?
Why does the Children’s Hospital have to advertise for donations while our government spends money flying in snow for the Olympics?
Jim: “And why are they not protecting us from the gouging at the fuel pumps? “
It is not the government’s job to regulate fuel prices. If you want to save money, use less.
I’m not a Shirley Bond fan, but as far as Bell goes, he’s about as hard working MLA as you can get. The guy is always putting himself out there in the media, which is probably why he’s such an easy target.
Bond and Bell cannot revoke the HST by themselves. That has to happen at Christy Clark’s level.
Many don’t realize it, but we’re actually pretty lucky we have two fairly high profile MLA’s speaking for our region in Victoria. It’s better than having invisible back-benchers.
The Government is in a conflict of interest because they make money on the price of gas. If the price goes up they make more money. If it goes down they make less. They should get the hell out of the gas business.
In any event, they may not be able to regulate fuel prices, but they could make their views known about the prices. In addition they could threaten to increase the royalties on gas etc if the prices get out of line.
The Government would like you to beleive that they have no control over the price of Hydro, ICBC,BC Ferries, etc; etc; when in fact they have all the control. They own 21 or more entities in BC, from which they get revenue.
Bond and Bell are in Victoria because the people in this area voted for them. We have expectations, and there is no piano tied to their asses. If they wanted to they could go to bat for us, and put some pressure on the Government (and Christy) to resolve this HST conundrum, but they remain silent. They supported this tax when it was the Governments position to bring it in, and the now remain silent because silence is the Governments position at this time.
So do they represent us, or are they lackeys of the Government?? There is no law stopping them from taking a position on this issue, other than fear of losing a Cabinet postion, or being expelled from caucus. Its us who pay their wages, not Christy and her camp followers.
Lets get some real representation for a change.
Palopu: “In any event, they may not be able to regulate fuel prices, but they could make their views known about the prices.”
A mostly useless activity. Nothing would be accomplished by this, so why do it?
Palopu: “So do they represent us, or are they lackeys of the Government??”
Both. Being an MLA requires one to be a ‘team player’, just like any other job. Make too many waves, and you find yourself on the outside looking in.
Palopu: “There is no law stopping them from taking a position on this issue, other than fear of losing a Cabinet postion, or being expelled from caucus.”
Those are pretty big stakes. We enjoy having good representation in Victoria. If Bell and Bond were troublemakers, they would be pushed to the back benches and you’d never hear from them again. Is that what you want?
JohnnyBelt. The Liberals need every bloody seat they can get in the next election. They rely heavily on getting the three seats in this area ie; PG Mac|Kenzie, Valemount, and Nechako Lakes.
One of the reasons Bell and Bond are Cabinet Ministers is because the Government needs these seats. If Bond and Bell dont give support to this area on the issue of the HST then they will be gone from Government.
Over 50% of the registered voters in PG MacKenzie and Valemount voted to get rid of the HST in the referendum. If this tax is still around in the next election, they will probably lose these votes.
Its time to quit hiding behind Christys skirt, and to start representing the people who elected them. The statement **being a team player** is always used to keep people from expressing their true opinions.
The HST issue is one of the most important issues facing the Liberal Government to-day, and for some reason, they cannot seem to get it behind them. They have been fighting this issue for the past two years, filling us with propaganda, false advertising, etc; etc;, and just cant seem to get honest enough to get rid of the tax and get on with the business of running the Government.
I think that there are a lot of people in the Liberal Government like Kevin Falcon, who are a huge detriment to this Government, and they should be kicked to the sidelines. Who is really running this Government?? Christy?? or those who lost their leadership bid??
Palopu: “The statement **being a team player** is always used to keep people from expressing their true opinions.”
Well whether you like it or not that’s the reality. Not just in the government, but in every workplace. There’s a time to speak up and a time to shut up.
The Government said that it would take about 18 months to remove the GST right after the referendum. What are Bell and Bond supposed to do to change that?
The people of BC voted with their hearts, and not their heads on the HST issue. The sad fact is that the HST is giving the government much needed revenue to fund services. Once it’s gone, they’ll have to look elesewhere.
Do you honestly believe that once the HST is gone, that you won’t be paying more somewhere else, in the form of user fees and hidden taxes? Good luck with that belief.
GST=HST above.
God help us all if the bright spots in the global economy are Japan and South Korea as Pat Bell claims… Japan has a $40 trillion dollar nuclear meltdown on their hands that threatens still to contaminate the most industrial core of their country and 212% of GDP in debt (triple that of Greece)… and South Korea has a 28 year old known gambler that spent his youth in Maceu casino’s now supreme commander of the 4th largest military in the world and his twitchy finger on the nuclear button in his first statement in office condemning South Korea vowing to make them pay for their policy on his country. Bright spots to look forward to in the year ahead indeed Pat Bell?
Why no talk about small business revival… its declined 20% since the BC liberals took power and yet its the largest driver of employment in the economy… oh that’s right the BC liberals stand for monopoly capitalism and not a free enterprise economy equalizing opportunity and upward mobility of the middle class.
Sell BC to Wall Street elites and the Chinese and hope something trickles down seems to be the BC liberal policy.
Honestly on almost every metric I think the BC liberals have been the biggest disaster for the people of BC ever. Arrogance, loose with the facts, spin with a straight face, and complete failure on every front is their legacy. One would have to go back to Musgrave to find a worse government.
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