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Les wants more employment

Minister talks with local business leaders
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MLA John Les (left) speaks with Caroline Waters and Kim Burden at Tuesday meeting.

With a provincial job strategy due out later this month, MLA John Les is touring the province to talk about jobs and the economy.

When the Chilliwack MLA and Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier spoke to a small group in Parksville Tuesday, he said he was mostly here “to listen to people and make sure the premier has all the info she needs.”

He pointed out that B.C. is ideally placed on the West Coast to take advantage of the relatively stable Asian economy, especially important while the U.S. economy is weak.

“For the first time in history, we’re exporting more forest products to China than the U.S.,” he said and added that it’s not just China.

“India’s right behind them,” he said, “and there are a number of other strong Asian economies.”

In a statement before the meeting, Parksville Chamber of Commerce president Kim Burden said defending and creating jobs is about overall economic and fiscal fundamentals.

These include, he said, taking decisive actions, removing barriers to investment, and supporting export opportunities in powerful markets that yield job growth in all regions of the province.

 

 

 

 

writer@pqbnews.com