Premier Visit to Europe – June 2019
In June 2019, Premier John Horgan embarked on a nine-day visit to Europe. The objectives of this visit were to commemorate D-Day, as well as to expand economic ties and to promote British Columbia’s strengths in clean energy.
The Premier’s first stop was to Juno Beach in France to observe D-Day ceremonies alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It was the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, and the ceremonies served to remember the British Columbians and Canadian soldiers who fought and sacrificed for our freedoms. Victory came with great sacrifice – 359 Canadian soldiers were killed on D-Day, including 19 British Columbians, and more than 5,000 Canadians died during the ensuing two months of battle in Normandy.
Premier Horgan then travelled to the United Kingdom and met with government officials and business leaders. The visit included several meetings with industry leaders from leading United Kingdom companies such as Babcock International, BAE Systems and Waugh Thistleton. These meetings focused on discussing future collaboration opportunities and business development. The Premier learned about Europe’s zero-emission buildings when he toured the Siemens Crystal Building. Through the CleanBC initiative, British Columbia is focused on green buildings and smart city development. CleanBC is a cross-government plan aimed at reducing climate pollution and creating more jobs. The key goal is to reduce climate pollution by using clean and renewable energies for homes, vehicles and businesses. At the same time, the government wishes to boost energy-efficient solutions and to become an ideal investment location to meet the global demand for low-carbon products.
The Netherlands was the last stop for this working visit. Premier Horgan met with various government officials, such as the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and the Canadian ambassador to the Netherlands. The focus of these meetings was to showcase British Columbia’s clean energy plans aiming to develop a sustainable economy and tackle climate change.
The Trade and Invest BC Europe office played a vital role in planning and coordinating the meetings with government officials and companies. Our global network of international trade and investment representatives promote British Columbia as an ideal investment destination. To learn more about our clean technology sector, follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.
