Small Business week is now underway in British Columbia – and right
across Canada. Small Business Week began
in BC over 3 decades ago (1979) and became a national event in 1981.
I did a Google search to find out more about
this year’s event, and found out the theme this time around is; “Invest,
innovate and grow” … and that small businesses are encouraged to “attack
challenges with renewed decisiveness, market awareness and creativity” and
“invest in the new technology your team needs to get the job done.”
Small business has always driven the well-being of the provinces with
jobs right in the local community. While
small businesses rely on the economic well-being of the province, country, and exports;
having government keeping red-tape to a minimum, and taxes at a level that
allow for growth, has always been critical to their success.
In recent years however, government has not been creating a climate so that
small business can grow and create jobs to support families and the BC
economy. In fact, government has a poor
record in that area, as noted in the media as recently as the past 3 or 4
weeks.
CTV News (Sept 21st, 2011) … Economists and business leaders say Premier Christy Clark's jobs plan
is short on targets and dollars…
Globe and Mail (Sept 21 st, 2011 … her new initiatives do not include any promises of immediate work for those who are looking for jobs in B.C. now…
Globe and Mail (Sept 22nd, 2011) … the Premier’s mild measures and recycled projects are fine, as far as
they go. The problem is trying to gussy them up into something major … as if
something big were happening …
Globe and Mail (Sept 23rd, 2011) … much-hyped
jobs strategy announced this week demonstrated anything, it’s how few tools
governments now appear to have at their disposal to fire up an economy … mostly
repackaged ideas … as much-vaunted as
this one, there was relatively little to digest.
Vancouver Province (Oct 2nd,
2011) … Although Clark said that all
decisions were made "with an eye to defending and creating jobs," the
plan provides few guarantees of immediate work, training or placing people in
new positions.
Vancouver Sun (Oct 4th, 2011) … Clark's first throne speech, like her Jobs Plan, is a promise of work
yet to be done.
Globe and Mail (Oct 11th) … a new statutory holiday has a price attached to it, and that price is
the overtime employers will have to pay their employees to come to work … for
B.C. small businesses with five employees, the cost … may be the difference
between making rent in a short month, or
not
Meantime, there has been much in the news media as of late about John Cummins
and the BC Conservatives, with regards to Christy Clarks Liberals and needed
help to businesses in BC …
The Globe and Mail said … the BC Conservative Party under John Cummins
is on the rise … Ms. Clark did not want her economic announcement this week to
give conservative-minded voters in the province more reasons to give Mr.
Cummins a look and Mr. Cummins any more ammunition against her Liberal
government. We’ll see how well it works.
The Tyee said … It may be a
subtle admission that the party name is a liability, especially when small-c
conservative members of the free enterprise coalition have a new alternative in
the John Cummins-led BC Conservative Party. Clarkites fear Cummins and Company.
A story in the Province said … they're still convinced emphasizing jobs and
the economy is the best way to fight Dix and the NDP, not to mention John
Cummins and the Conservatives … much of Clark's pro-business focus today is
aimed at Cummins, because the Libs are so afraid of losing right-wing support
to those upstart Tories.
In the Vancouver Sun came these comments … Cummins' politics are shaped by a nostalgia for the days when fishing,
forestry and mining thrived. He believes their decline has less to do with
changing global markets and more to do with successive NDP and BC Liberal
governments not following the common sense policies …
While the Merritt News in BC’s interior said … Cummins is a challenge for the Liberals. He’s skilled and quick … and
has a reputation for speaking his mind and representing his constituents’
interests … offers an alternative for people who would never vote NDP, but are
angry at the Liberals, as well as voters who sat out the last few elections
because they didn’t see a credible party that represented them …
Here’s more from the Vancouver Sun … that huge investment is now "being held for ransom and shaken down
for more money with the active participation of our rookie Liberal
premier." … also slammed Clark's
increase in the minimum wage as a job killer that will cost millions of dollars.
And in the Globe and Mail was the comment … BC Conservative Party Leader John Cummins … denounced the strategy as a
waste of public funds by a photo-op-hungry Premier who is responsible for a
job-killing hike in the minimum wage.
Okay, so that’s all fine and well, but what does John Cummins and the
BC Conservatives say about helping small business, and creating a climate where
families have more money left in their pockets to buy the goods and services of
small businesses? Again in recent weeks
there has been much in the media on where the Conservatives, and John Cummins, stand:
- Under a New BC Conservative government any proposed new taxes on British Columbians are or changes to the minimum wage that businesses will have to, will be presented to the people for discussion ninety days prior to the Legislative vote.
- “Raising taxes should always been the last resort – and Premier Clark has failed taxpayers … demand the municipalities and Translink find savings within their current budgets.”
- “When my family needs something we can’t afford, we find creative solutions, we change our budget, we cut back on less important expenses. Why can’t Premier Clark stand up for drivers and taxpayers and demand that the Mayors do the same?”
- “Under this Liberal government, British Columbia has become more expensive for families. Taxes are higher than anywhere west of Quebec and families earn less … Conservatives believe BC families should pay less, which is why we have promised to lift the Carbon Tax.”
- Small businesses are at the hands of this so-called free enterprise government … a Liberal government wins votes by claiming to be more economically responsible than the NDP, and yet what to do we find? Christy Clark and Adrian Dix singing from the same song sheet …
- Christy Clark … as the last few months have shown us, is completely devoid of new ideas – except raising the minimum wage, which was lifted directly from the NDP’s last platform.
- It is extremely telling that the only line the Liberals use is the so-called splitting of the vote. They don’t brag about their own record – no, their only argument is: Vote for me, I’m not NDP. Although after this week it is getting pretty hard to tell the difference any more.
- “There is no promise to tackle the debt and only a vague indication of some sort of a review of crown corporations operations – no plan to get their borrowing under control … the most underwhelming aspect of this speech from the throne is the lack of vision.
- BC has a weakening economy and the world is on a brink of another recession. Where is the plan from this supposedly “free-enterprise” government to weather the storm? Where is the vision to be the strongest economy in Canada – not have the worst unemployment west of Quebec?”
- The BC Conservatives call on the government to engage in a full scale review of all government spending to find savings and balance the budget as soon as possible. This should include all crown corporations, for whose debt all British Columbians are ultimately liable.
- A new BC Conservative government will negotiate with Ottawa to create one unified single environmental assessment process, modeled on BC’s current system; which takes into account social and economic impacts of a project.
The policies of the BC Conservative Party, which were adopted at the AGM
in Nanaimo last month, are filled with the common sense ideas of hundreds and
hundreds of people from across the province – people from all walks, and all
fields, of life.
Again, Small Business Week this year is about investing, innovation, and
growth. The BC liberals have had ten
years now to show they can help business in those three vitally important areas
– but they have failed, as the numbers of unemployed and failed businesses has
shown.
The next election is in 18 months; and that’s how long John Cummins and
the BC Conservatives have to show BC they have a handle on making a difference in
those two areas, and many others!
I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops; with the thoughts of one conservative on
this round ball we call planet earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment