Discover British Columbia : Current issues

Political situation

Constitutional monarchy, member of the Commonwealth, the Queen of England is symbolically recognized as head of state. She is represented by a Governor General, Julie Payette, in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario. True executive power is in the hands of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau since 2015 and his majority government cabinet. The British North America Act, the constitutional document that created Canadian Confederation in 1867, established a division of powers between two types of governments: provincial and federal. Each of Canada's ten provinces has a government with reserved areas for legislation (education, health, other domestic and local matters). The federal government governs Foreign Affairs, Defence, Trade and Commerce, Transport, Mint and Criminal Law. The three Territories are overseen by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. The single-member, simple majority voting system generally alternates between two political parties. The bicephalous Parliament consists essentially of the House of Commons, composed of elected members, which plays the main role, while the Upper House, the Senate, has only historical status, like its English model, the House of Lords.

John Horgan has been the Premier of British Columbia since July 2017. His party, the New Democratic Party (NDP), supported by Andrew Weaver's Green Party, succeeded Christy Clark and ended 16 years of Liberal rule. The Liberal Party had held a majority of seats in the British Columbia legislature in Victoria since 2001. Jason Kenney has served as Premier of Alberta for the Conservative Party since 2019. Sandy Silver has led the Yukon since 2016. Caroline Cochrane is the 13th Premier of the Northwest Territories since 2019.

Some current issues and debates are in turmoil, and the major and recurring question that is stirring Canadian political life is that of bilingualism. The political division between the Anglophone and economically oriented West and the Francophone East raises concerns about Canadian unity. The idea of British Columbia seceding is sometimes put forward. The issue of health is a hot topic. The country is cruelly short of doctors, a paradoxical situation given the influx of immigrants who are qualified in medicine but whose diplomas are not recognized in Canada . The issue of migration, following the election of Donald Trump, has also taken on greater importance in the media landscape. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, like a country like Australia, has announced his intention to increase the number of immigrants admitted annually to the country from 300,000 to 340,000 by 2020.

Natural resources

Western Canada's significant natural resources are exploited and exported around the world. It is the world's largest exporter of timber and the world's third largest reserve of uranium and oil. The subsoil is rich and allows the extractive industries to play an important role in the Canadian economy: oil (especially in northern Alberta), natural gas, natural coal, potash, lead, uranium, zinc and nickel are mined. The forest is harvested and provides lumber or paper. The grasslands of central Canada are one of the world's major grain stores. Wheat and rapeseed are the main crops, but potatoes and fruit are also grown here. Commercial fishing takes place all along the Pacific coast where salmon and shellfish are abundant. Farming is also doing very well in Alberta, which is particularly renowned for its beef.

Social and economic situation

The days when Canada's economy was based almost exclusively on its natural resources are well and truly over. The country now favours an economy based on innovation and technology. This is what Canada's leaders call the shift to a knowledge-based economy. The majority of Canadians work in offices rather than on farms or in mines, in fact 75% of the population works in the service industry. This sector generates two-thirds of the gross domestic product. There are dozens of companies in the Vancouver area whose revenues come from the development and sale of their software: communications networks, video games, telephony, and so on. Many start-ups survive and many "East-Coasters" come to settle on the West Coast. Canadians are looking to maintain their independence and be strong against their powerful neighbour, the United States. To do so, the country is using immigration to meet their need for labour and skilled workers. 5 million Canadians are expected to retire by 2035 and the economy needs to remain competitive. 494,490 new immigrants settled in the West between 2011 and 2016, representing almost 5 per cent of its population.

Some sectors are recruiting, such as energy, construction and technology. Entrepreneurship and innovation are strongly supported. There is a real desire to diversify Western Canada's economy and the Government is making real efforts to do so by funding various programs such as the Aboriginal Generation of Leaders and Entrepreneurs (Eagle) program to support Aboriginal youth in their future and to encourage them to participate in Canada's economic growth. Other investments are directed to universities, including the University of Victoria to support technological advances. Western Canada is home to dynamic cities that are contributing to the growth of the West. Alberta and British Columbia have experienced the fastest growth of all Canadian provinces.

The city of Vancouver, boosted by tourism, also relies heavily on new technologies and the film industry, known as the Hollywood of the Northwest. Billions of dollars of goods also pass through its port - Canada's largest and busiest - to and from around the world. Vancouver has repeatedly reached the top of the list of cities where it is most pleasant to live thanks to an intense municipal effort to develop green and coastal spaces and hopes to position itself as the greenest city in the world in the years to come.

Alberta is confirming its dominant international position in the development of oil as well as shale gas and oil sands. As for the Northwest Territories, since 2003, Canada has positioned itself as the world's third largest producer of diamonds thanks to the deposits discovered in its soil. In total contradiction, environmental and ecological protests and demonstrations have never made so much noise in the history of Canada. Associations such as Greenpeace and the Suzuki Foundation, both of British Columbia origin, have for ten years blamed the Conservative government of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper for its denial of the excessive exploitation of Canada's natural resources and its backtracking on the country's environmental objectives (Canada's withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol in 2011).

80% of exports and 70% of imports are to and from the United States. Europe is the second largest partner. Asia, led by Japan, is an increasingly important partner, particularly with the province of British Columbia, as well as Mexico. Financial, real estate and business transactions with China and South Korea are also becoming increasingly important.

One of the country's primary challenges is to significantly improve the lives of its people. The quality of life in the north of the country, particularly in the territory of Nunavut, is not comparable to that of cities along the U.S. border. If the government wants to address the social problems (alcohol, top suicide rate, unemployment, etc.) in this remote part of the world, it will first have to build a viable economy. Initiatives have been proposed in this direction, but it seems that they are still a long way off. In the long term, one of the important issues for Canada is to maintain its role as a major energy producer, without harming future generations, thus ensuring the sustainable development of the energy industry.

An important place in the tourism industry

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games will have been a great advertisement for Canada, and particularly for western Canada. If in the minds of the majority of French people, Canada is often assimilated with Quebec, many are now aware of the attraction of the more remote western provinces.

Nationally, tourism is the^third

most profitable sector of the country's industry, accounting for more than 2% of Canada's GDP, with total sales of $84 billion. One in 11 jobs (over 1.8 million) is linked to the tourism economy and the sector is the largest employer of young people. In 2015, the number of international visitors to Canada increased by 7.5% to 17.8 million. In 2016, Canada welcomed nearly 20 million tourists, indicating another 11% increase.

The year 2017, with the celebration of Canada's 150th anniversary, will have marked a major turning point for the tourism industry. The Government of Canada has outlined its ambitious plan for the coming years, aiming to become one of the ten most visited countries in the world by 2025.

Since 2018, Canada has been welcoming many tourists from China, an alliance that contributes greatly to the country's tourism economy. Finally, some cities such as Dawson City, which was of paramount importance during the gold rush or when the railway was built, now live mainly off tourism. Western Canada relies on tourism and the promotion of its territory. Certain points in particular are targeted for the development of tourism in the region, such as the promotion of the winter season and the off-season, the destination being especially popular in the summer. Western Canada wishes to be attractive all year round. Aboriginal tourism is an asset that the country is highlighting: the cultural and artistic side of the First Nations is highlighted in museums and other cultural venues. Remote rural communities are developing to bring visitors to discover the more local aspect and culinary riches in support of farm communities.