May 12, 2005
VANCOUVER – The NDP has so few new ideas for B.C.’s economy that they don’t even mention Asia in their election platform, said BC Liberal candidate Patrick Wong (Vancouver-Kensington) today.
After the comments of an NDP candidate that foreign investors should be discouraged from British Columbia, Wong compared the platforms of the NDP and the BC Liberals regarding Asia-Pacific issues and discovered that Asia is mentioned 11 times in the BC Liberal platform but has zero mentions in the NDP’s platform.
"The NDP’s map of the future does not include Asia. In their 80-page platform, they could not find room for a single mention of our second-largest trading partner," said Wong. "It’s an insult to our Asian communities and shows the NDP’s total ignorance about B.C.’s economic future."
"The BC Liberal plan includes the Premier’s Asia-Pacific Gateway strategy, the creation of an Asia-Pacific Trade Council, expansion of the Port of Prince Rupert to open up new trading opportunities, an expanded sister-cities network between B.C. and Asia, and the creation of a new Asia-Pacific Museum of Trade and Culture," said Wong. "Carole James and the NDP have no plan for the Asia-Pacific, and what is worse – there are NDP candidates who are opposed to Asian investment in British Columbia."
Shuswap NDP candidate Calvin White reiterated his controversial comments on foreign investment Tuesday, stating: "I said 'I don’t care whether it’s an American company that is going to buy a third of BC Hydro or if a Chinese corporation wanted to buy the land in Northern B.C.', what’s B.C. should stay B.C." [CBC-TV, May 10]
"It is not surprising that NDP candidates are opposed to Chinese investment when Carole James ignores Asia-Pacific in her platform. If Carole James cared about Asia-Pacific issues, she would have addressed them," said Wong. "The Asia-Pacific region is critical to British Columbia’s future and only the BC Liberals are responding to the challenge."
