Panel data provided by Madison's Canadian Lumber Reporter.

The Economy: Who’s to Blame?

By

Governments have very little to do with economic cycles. However, when the economy turns positive, guess who takes the credit? On the other hand, when the economy takes negative turn, governments are quick to say “we don’t control interest rates” … “we don’t decide the price of copper”… etc. They point out all the world events which they cannot control and therefore they can’t be held responsible for the current state of the economy Note the so-called “past ten years” of the British Columbia economy.

According to Gordon Campbell, he and his economic policies are responsible for the turn-around since he was elected four years ago. But wait a minute. The softwood lumber dispute is still there. The border is still closed to Canadian beef. The effects of 911 are still changing the world.

The economy in B.C. is recovering because the economy always recovers … just as it will decline again in a few years regardless of which government is in Victoria or Ottawa. We in central and northern B.C. should be more concerned about what is happening around us. Competitive forces are good for any economy yet we are witnessing creation of monopolies in our forestry and transportation systems. Gordon Campbell would show some real leadership if he were to set policies which encourage and ensure competitive forces within our resource harvest sectors. Unfortunately, we vote with our wallets and Gordon takes the credit for our present good fortune. Gordon’s government has been re-elected. British Columbians gave him a greatly reduced majority. He needs a strong opposition to keep him as honest as possible.
Governments need competition too.
Previous Story - Next Story



Return to Home