PM visits site of Nanaimo cruise ship terminal

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Thanks everyone.  And thanks to my friend and colleague in Parliament - and your representative for Nanaimo-Alberni, Dr. James Lunney, for that warm introduction.

I should tell you that James has been tireless in his work for the people of Nanaimo. For example, following his guidance we have invested heavily in Vancouver Island University through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan.  We have supported reconstruction of the terminal at Nanaimo’s Cassidy airport.  There’s a new water treatment plant at South Fork.

It’s actually a very long list and we don’t have time to go through it, but I see his fingerprints everywhere.  Believe me when I tell you no riding could have a more committed and dedicated representative than James Lunney!

Welcome as well to my colleagues, to Minister Stockwell Day, MP John Weston, MLA Ron Cantelon, Nanaimo Mayor John Ruttan, Mayor Ed Mayne from Parksville, Mayor Teunis Westbroek from Qualicum Beach and Mayor Ken McRae from Port Alberni.  I also want to thank Nanaimo Port Authority Chair Robert Bennie and port president Bernie Dumas for their hospitality. 

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s good to be in Nanaimo, beside your gorgeous waterfront.

In fact, it’s just good to be on Vancouver Island, this spectacular part of Beautiful British Columbia.

We are really looking forward to spending the day here.

And it’s a busy one.

On our way here we stopped at another cause that James championed, the Deep Bay Field Station, where Vancouver Island University is doing research to help develop a sustainable shellfish aquaculture industry in B.C.

That’s important work, and our government is proud to support it.

All I can say is that after we saw last week’s headlines in the Nanaimo newspapers
- salmon for everyone, I think it said – there had better be a fish dinner before we go home.

But first, ladies and gentlemen, we have pleasant business before us.

You know, there are two ways to understand the enormous popularity of Vancouver Island and the B.C. coast as tourist destinations.

One is to look at the numbers. They speak for themselves.

Or, you can simply look out over the water as I just did, and watch these massive cruise ships sailing majestically on their way.

It’s a big business.

There are literally dozens of ships engaged in it, most making multiple voyages.

And this season alone, they will carry more than one million passengers through the Inside Passage.

And no wonder.

The Inside Passage is unequalled around the world for its vistas of mighty snow-capped mountains, abundant green forests and a coastline with a seal on every rock and an eagle in every tree.

All of which brings us to why we are here today.  It is not enough that vessels pass by Nanaimo hundreds of times a year.

We would like them to come into Nanaimo.  We would like their passengers to experience some of  Nanaimo’s famous hospitality.

And yes, we would like them to leave a little economic stimulus behind them.

I am therefore very pleased to be here today to help mark the start of construction of a floating cruise-ship terminal in the Nanaimo Assembly Wharf area!

This project will be funded through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, undertaken in partnership with the Province and the Nanaimo Port Authority.  This wharf is needed because there is currently no way for these large cruise liners to dock in Nanaimo.

Of course, such are the attractions of your Hub City, that some call here anyway.

But when they do, they must anchor well offshore.  Then, passengers wishing to disembark are ferried to and from shore in lighters.  That is time-consuming, inefficient, and discourages port visits.

But, to slightly misquote the Kevin Costner character in the film of W.P. Kinsella’s book Field of Dreams, "Build it and they will come."

This new dock will be big enough to handle the largest ships on the west coast cruise routes.

And, because it makes it so easy for passengers to come and go, Nanaimo will be a very attractive stop for ships that at present just sail on by.

So, lots of tourists will be visiting, to enjoy the many good things that the mid-island has to offer.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me give you an example of the kind of impact these visits have, and why we believe it is so important to attract more of them.

Thanks to great marketing by the Nanaimo Port Authority, the cruise-liner Norwegian Pearl will visit Nanaimo for the first time in October.

She carries 2,400 passengers and has a crew of 900.  On past experience, that visit could easily be worth as much as $200,000 to the local economy.

With this new dock, the Nanaimo Port Authority hopes to attract up to 30 such visits every season.  That’s worth going for.

The business that cruise liners bring with them through this dock will ensure the health and strength of tourism in the region, for years to come.

This important development is also being funded through Canada’s Economic Action Plan.

Like other worthy mid-island projects we have supported, it means jobs now, and lasting benefits to communities.

Ladies and gentlemen, before relinquishing the podium, I should like to make two other observations.

First, I wish to acknowledge the co-operation and support of the Snuneymuxw First Nations in seeing this project move ahead.  The Snuneymuxw people have a history of collaboration with the city and the port authorities, and we expect your community will also benefit from the economic opportunities that will come with the new program.

And, I should just say this about Canada’s Economic Action Plan.  It is our government’s response to the worst economic recession since the Second World War.

Now, as you know, during this global recession Canada has been doing better
- significantly better - than its peers among the advanced countries.

We must remain focussed on the economy and on jobs.  If we can do that, if we can stay focussed, and stay on course, and we continue to make strategic investments like this one, we will continue to lay the foundation for Canada to lead the world in economic performance well into the future.

And in this particular case, we shall have the added satisfaction of having helped thousands of people enjoy this spectacular part of our great country.

Thank you.

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