To the editor;
Although small business month has now passed, I feel it is important to write and urge British Columbians to remember that B.C.’s small businesses are the backbone of the B.C. economy and employ the vast majority of our province’s private sector workers.
Something equally important to remember is that in order for B.C.’s small businesses to thrive, the major industry sectors they service also need to thrive. For that reason, all levels of government must support and encourage small business, and the small business people and entrepreneurs who run these businesses, as well as the major industry sectors these small businesses depend on; because as our key industry sectors grow and prosper, so do the province’s small businesses and secondary industries.
For example, the mineral exploration sector in B.C. directly supports over 2,000 small service and supply businesses. If we fail to support major industries such as the mineral exploration sector it would invariably lead to the collapse of these 2,000 small businesses as well as the untold thousands of other small businesses that are indirectly supported by this industry.
Despite current optimism about the future, many small businesses in B.C. are still recovering from the lingering effects of the 2008 recession. The smallest change in B.C.’s economic prospects could easily turn the tide back in the other direction and cause B.C.’s small businesses to lean toward risk aversion rather than economic expansion.
As British Columbians, it is therefore up to us to ensure that all levels of government make decisions that support our province’s major industries. Whether it’s mining exploration, LNG or megaprojects like Site C, policies that allow our major industry sectors to thrive also allow our province’s small businesses to grow and thrive and provide employment for the vast majority of British Columbians.
Christopher C. Law
Port Moody, B.C.