In his 2011 federal budget, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty allocated $10 million over two years to develop and implement an international education strategy aimed at increasing the number of international high school and postsecondary students coming to Canada.
Flaherty didn't include new money for the initiative when he announced the 2012 budget last Thursday (March 30). But that didn't stop local Member of Parliament John Weston from touting the initiative in a tweet that went out to constituents on budget day.
"Budget promises good things for intl education - #Quest University in #Squamish shd be happy! JW," read Weston's post.
In an interview on Tuesday (April 3), Weston said promoting the Sea to Sky Corridor as a destination for international students and student exchanges is one of the things constituents have been seeking and has been an area of emphasis during his four-plus years as West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country MP.
He said the fact that the second-year initiative is "flagged" in the budget - specifically on Page 81 - means it's an area the government considers key to future prosperity.
"Anything that's flagged in this budget is part of this government's road map. During consultations I went around the riding and promoting more international students in the corridor was a key focus," Weston said, adding that he has been "enthralled" with Quest's success to date in bringing international students to Squamish.
Education is only one part of the commitment to economic development, training and job creation in the budget, Weston told The Chief.
While there are no new taxes and a commitment to return to balanced budgets by 2014-'15, there's also $3 billion to support job creation and $2.4 billion to support improvements in the business climate through support for research, innovation, training and infrastructure.
"I would call these prudent investments in future prosperity rather than pork-barrelling. This is a government that's thinking long-term," Weston said.
The budget, which is two per cent ($5.2 billion) smaller than the 2011 version, will see the federal government trim 19,200 workers from the payroll, about a third of those through attrition.
One item with significant implications for B.C. is a plan to streamline environmental reviews and cap their time frames at two years. That will apply retroactively to reviews already underway, including the controversial Northern Gateway pipeline. Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently complained that the project's review had been "hijacked" by out-of-province environmental activists.
"We need to be more efficient working with our provincial counterparts," Weston said. "We need good, clear environmental standards and we need government to regulate them.
"What we don't need is unnecessary delays and duplication of effort. The mantra is 'one project, one review.' The most ardent environmental advocates and the most committed industrialists will have to get together to determine ways to extract our natural resources in an environmentally sustainable way."
The Trudeau-era youth volunteer program Katimavik was a casualty of Flaherty's belt-tightening. The program costs taxpayers roughly $14 million each year, money that Weston said ought to be found elsewhere.
"Other programs have been weaned off taxpayer support and this one hasn't. Katimavik could continue if those who benefit from it decide to rally and support it," he said.
"I don't think it's healthy for us to believe that just because a program has been funded in the past that it will always be funded to eternity. The programs that are healthy muster their own support over time," Weston said.
- With files from Benjamin Aldritt, North Shore News
