B.C. Premier upbeat in Cranbrook speech

— Photo courtesy Marie Milner

A decidedly upbeat Premier Christy Clark touched down in Cranbrook last week. She spoke to a packed out luncheon audience of almost 200 people at the Heritage Inn.

She opened by telling the hardscrabble story of her Scottish grandfather, who was orphaned early in his life and came to Canada at age sixteen. He went on to become a highly regarded doctor. His life was an example of combining good luck and hard work, which added up to a lifetime of success.

Likewise, the Premier said B.C. stands to benefit from both good luck and hard work. Her government is committed to growing jobs and industry, cutting red tape and getting out of the way of business success. For example, she said that the LNG industry, with its trillion dollar potential, brings with it the opportunity to create 100,000 dependable and long term jobs. This includes $250 billion in investments, which should be announced by year end.

Premier Clark also praised local MLA and Energy Minister, Bill Bennett for his work on the government’s recent CORE review. This work is responsible for the leanest, smallest government in Victoria for many years and an upcoming balanced budget, she noted.

Speaking about the rural/urban disconnect she reminded urbanites that $2 out of every $3 the province's economy generates comes from B.C.’s resource industries. Premier Clark wrapped up her presentation with the comment, “You can’t build an economy on NO – we look to saying YES to building a strong economy in British Columbia.”