(File photo/ CKOM News Staff)

By Lisa Schick

‘Couldn’t be happier’: Sask. Chamber approves of growth plan

Nov 15, 2019 | 4:42 PM

The head of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce is giving a big nod to the growth plan the provincial government released on Thursday.

Steve McLellan said the plan gives a sense of optimism that’s badly needed in the business community right now.

McLellan likes the focus in the province’s report on putting Saskatchewan people and a Saskatchewan footprint in foreign markets.

“We are a trading nation, we’re a trading province, we are more reliant in Saskatchewan on overseas trade than any other jurisdiction, so us taking responsibility for our own efforts will continue to drive revenues in Saskatchewan,” he said.

Of all the goals and plans in the document, McLellan said he particularly likes the expansion of Saskatchewan-led initiatives in foreign markets.

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“What we needed to do is to stand a little taller, to make sure that our voice is louder, to make sure that our products are the first that people get a chance to see rather than following Ontario or Alberta or British Columbia’s song. We want to be first in the show and this gives us that opportunity to do it,” said McLellan.

He said that opening new trade offices makes sense and will help to get companies in other markets. McLellan said that alone could make millions of dollars of difference in exports and could mean hundreds more jobs.

In September, the chamber put out its own report, Beyond 2020: A blueprint for Saskatchewan Business Competitiveness. McLellan said many of the things that were in that report ended up in the province’s growth plan.

He said he wouldn’t call it a criticism, but one thing McLellan didn’t see in the growth report that he would have liked to have seen is a focus on education — both post-secondary and K-12.

“We have to make sure our students are getting the education that they deserve and we can provide, and to make sure that they’re prepared so when we are the global trader that we are building towards, they’re ready to compete on a global basis,” he said.

McLellan encourages everyone in Saskatchewan to take a look at the plan — especially those connected to trade — to see where the province is going and how it might fit into their future plans.