The Burnaby Board of Trade is seeing a “potential upside” to a minority government in Parliament moving forward.
Last Tuesday’s election returned just 157 seats for the Liberal Party, shy of majority status by about 13 seats, meaning the Liberals will need to work with other parties to pass legislation.
That help is most likely to come from the NDP on many issues, but on other issues, such as the Trans Mountain pipeline, the support will most likely be coming from the Conservatives.
“The Burnaby Board of Trade sees this as a unique opportunity for us to engage and advocate to all parties on the issues that matter to local business,” says BBoT president Paul Holden.
“I can foresee, and would hope we see, different mixes of MPs coming together to address different issues, so that we may tackle an even wider range of important problems like tax competitiveness, climate change and workforce development.”
But the board said the change in government won’t mean any changes in what issues BBoT lobbies the feds on. That includes a call for a supportive government that is respectful of the business community and governance that includes engagement with businesses, and particularly small business.
“You can’t have strong, vibrant communities without strong and successful businesses, and vice versa; that’s a concept we passionately believe and we will make sure all federal parties understand it,” Holden said.
