BC Liberals Exaggerated LNG Job Numbers, Says Study

The Globe and Mail reported that the BC Liberal government’s claim that liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports will create 100,000 jobs is a huge overstatement, according to a report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
As quoted in the market news:

The Liberals touted LNG-related job creation during the 2013 provincial election and have repeatedly mentioned bright prospects for employment over the past two years. On July 13 in the B.C. Legislature, Premier Christy Clark highlighted the economic benefits of the fledgling LNG industry as she referred to “100,000 new jobs in the province over 30 years from all of the projects, should they get started.”

Marc Lee, a senior economist at the policy centre, said in an interview that the government’s rosy view is based on giving too much weight to new investment. “It is a work of fiction, originally created to support the Liberal Party’s election platform,” said Mr. Lee, whose group supports alternative energy sources.

But the minister responsible for LNG development, as well as the head of an industry alliance, said the study is flawed. Last Tuesday, the government used its majority to push through an LNG bill, with 43 Liberals voting in favour while 27 NDP members and the B.C. Green Party’s Andrew Weaver opposed it. The bill’s passage also resulted in the ratification of a project development agreement between the government and Pacific NorthWest LNG, a venture led by the Malaysian state-owned oil-and-gas company Petronas.

Click here to read the full The Globe and Mail report.