After Wednesday night’s televised leaders debate, Liberal Leader Christy Clark sat down with Business in Vancouver to talk about key business policies.
Clark appeared energized by the April 26 debate with NDP Leader John Horgan and Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver — an event she described as “the closest thing that you ever get to physical violence."
“It’s challenging, but it’s great. You’re talking to people. For me, what I like about it is that there’s no media filter, nobody choosing which clip is the good one, nobody choosing which picture is the bad one. People are watching. They get to hear you unfiltered and what you stand for.”
BIV asked Clark to to drill down on some key issues for business, including the threat to B.C.'s lumber industry from American softwood lumber duties, her party’s plans for a legalized recreational marijuana industry and the $3.5 billion George Massey tunnel replacement project.
Canadian lumber producers now face duties of 20 per cent or more on exports to the U.S. Clark has written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking him to impose a ban on the export of thermal coal from B.C. ports.
Given U.S. President Donald Trump’s affinity for the coal industry, it might be one of the few areas where Canada has some leverage. Even if Canada doesn’t impose a ban, Clark said a Liberal government would impose its own restrictions in the form of new levies.
“I want to ban thermal coal,” she said. “And if the federal government doesn’t decide to do it — although I think they will agree with our request — we are going to impose a levy under our jurisdiction that is so onerous that there’s no percentage in shipping thermal coal through British Columbia.”
Canadian lumber producers now face duties of 20 per cent or more on exports to the U.S. Clark has written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking him to impose a ban on the export of thermal coal from B.C. ports.
Given U.S. President Donald Trump’s affinity for the coal industry, it might be one of the few areas where Canada has some leverage. Even if Canada doesn’t impose a ban, Clark said a Liberal government would impose its own restrictions in the form of new levies.
“I want to ban thermal coal,” she said. “And if the federal government doesn’t decide to do it — although I think they will agree with our request — we are going to impose a levy under our jurisdiction that is so onerous that there’s no percentage in shipping thermal coal through British Columbia.”
For more on the interview see Business in Vancouver's Q&A with Clark in the newspaper's next print.
