Is It Time For Ottawa To Listen To The West?

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Premiers flex political muscle at Western Premiers’ Conference in Yellowknife

By Andy Radia | Canada Politics – Mon, 20 Jun, 2011

These days economic clout often equals political clout and in Canada, the West has both.

At this week's Western Premiers' Conference in Yellowknife, N.W.T., the political leaders of Canada's western provinces are expected to put together a collective "wish list" for the federal government.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger want to talk about how the provinces can press Ottawa for a new national disaster strategy.

Premier Christy Clark of British Columbia wants to discuss federal funding for "patient-focused health initiatives."

Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach wants his counterparts to help him convince the federal government to support construction of roads and pipelines that will facilitate trade with booming Asian countries.

"Our future prosperity will be determined by our ability to tap into rapidly growing Asian economies," he said in a news release.

"If we're going to sell our products in countries like China or India, we need to be able to get those products to market. It's critical that we in the West work together to ensure the infrastructure we need — the pipelines, the ports, the railways — is in place and up to date."

The premiers believe joint western proposals give the provinces and territories more political power in Ottawa, rather than single proposals from each province and territory.

As a region, the West has emerged as economic force in the country.

Buoyed by increasing populations, high demand for the region's natural resources and its geographic access to emerging markets in Asia,  western provinces were some of the best positioned to weather the global recession.

The region exports $143.5 billion worth of goods to other countries and, if the West were its own country, it would rank approximately 30th on the list of the world's largest exporters and 20th on the list of the world's largest economies.

Long gone are the days of western alienation. When it speaks with one voice, the west has clout.

(CP Photo)