Answer
- Let’s put this in perspective: Real estate is by far Canada’s largest sector overall, contributing a full 13% of national GDP. Manufacturing and retail and wholesale trade are also significant, each bringing in some 11% of GDP, followed by construction and finance, which each generate 7% of GDP. By comparison, the Alberta oil sands contribute just 2% of GDP—a number that has stayed relatively consistent over the past decade. The BC economy is perhaps most at risk of a Kinder Morgan oil tanker spill and the economic benefits of the Trans Mountain project are even more negligible. (source)
- Furthermore, as one recent op-ed pointed out: “doubling down on Trans Mountain by using taxpayer funds to subsidize one company at the expense of its Canadian competitors and risking a major conflict that will do irreparable damage to Canada’s reputation is a risky course.”
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