One year in: so what has the UK Government been up to in BC?

Has it been a year already? Since I arrived in Vancouver to represent the UK, we’ve had visits from three UK Ministers & a Scottish Minister; a Trade Envoy, a Trade Commissioner & a Commissioner for Future Generations (yes that’s a real job); and a High Commissioner and a Deputy High Commissioner. I’ve been to Victoria (lots), Whitehorse, Ottawa, Toronto & Montreal. I’ve met hundreds of people over coffee or tea, in meeting rooms, at crags or on skis. I’ve seen inside four clean tech factories, three Universities, two submarines and one particle accelerator. And I’ve got to know the fantastic, creative team at the British Consulate in Vancouver who make everything happen around here.

But why? Above all, my work as Consul General is about making connections and collaborating to make life better for people in both the UK and Canada.

With that in mind, here are three of my favourite things from my first year in Vancouver (other than mountains, of course):

1.???Making the international local

The West Coast can sometimes feel a bit distant from the geopolitics that’s roiling our world. But BC is just as connected to the global economy and the international system as anywhere else: what happens around the world matters here, and it’s part of our job to highlight those connections.

I book-ended my year by speaking at rallies organised by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress in downtown Vancouver standing against Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This illegal and unprovoked war of aggression affects everyone, from threatening the international rules that keep us all safe from predatory neighbours, to hiking our grocery bills and the cost of living around the world. And it certainly matters to the 200,000 Ukrainians who call BC home. Inspired by Ukraine’s courage and resilience, the UK, Canada and our allies continue to stand united in support of freedom, democracy and sovereignty. I’ve been proud to do my bit in Vancouver.

Another way in which we’ve sought to make the international local is through conversations about the Indo-Pacific. We had a packed room at UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA) for an event exploring how the UK and Canada might collaborate in the region. Both our countries now have very similar-sounding Indo-Pacific strategies, and unsurprisingly a lot of Canada’s deepest connections with the region run through BC. There’s plenty more that we could do together there, from improving our scientific and academic connections, supporting freedom of navigation and helping to shape the rules of global trade once the UK joins Canada as part of the CPTPP trade agreement.

2.???Helping local to go global

On the flip side, what happens in BC matters to the world. Nowhere has that been more evident over the last year than in clean tech. Six of Canada’s twelve companies on this year’s top 100 global clean tech companies are in BC. The innovation that’s happening here will help drive global decarbonisation, and it’s been my privilege to play a part in supporting some of those innovators’ journeys by connecting them to the UK – one of the most vibrant centres of innovation in the world, and one of the most strongly-committed to Net Zero. I’ve met companies such as CCUS leaders Svante and Carbon Engineering , supported Vancouver-based General Fusion in their quest to pioneer a new source of limitless clean energy drawing on UK expertise, and explored research and collaboration links on hydrogen with UBC, on green shipping with North America’s second largest port, and on Jet Zero with YVR.

Another part of life in BC that should have a global impact are the ideas and values of its Indigenous people. I’m fortunate to live and work on the traditional and unceded territories of the Squamish Nation , Musqueam Indian Band and s?lilw?ta? (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) , and this year I’ve been lucky enough to get to know leaders from Tsawwassen First Nation to Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation and many in-between. I’ve kept a lookout for opportunities for the UK to amplify Indigenous voices: I’m delighted that we’re about to hold our first ever ESG+I policy mission, when we will welcome Indigenous thought leaders to the UK to share their perspectives on what it means to incorporate Indigenous values into global finance and investment flows. And I’m hopeful that we’ll find local partners who can join us to support Indigenous scholars to study in the UK under the Chevening programme, which will help provide a global perspective for the next generation of Indigenous leaders.

3.???Making connections while making a difference

This year has also been about building a community and giving back. With that in mind, we decided to use our annual reception in December to collect donations for the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre . Not knowing how successful this drive would be, we placed a small apple crate at the entrance for the purpose. By the end of the night we had a full car-load of donations (!), which went straight to the shelter. Thank you again if you were one of the generous folks who donated.

The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was a sad and unexpected feature of my first year here. While mourning her passing, I had the privilege of meeting people from all walks of life who had come together in her memory. The strength of feeling within the Hong Kong-Canadian community stuck with me in particular.

I also had the special honour of helping to present a newly-issued WWII medal to a female veteran in West Vancouver. There are some extraordinary people in this province who deserve recognition.

What next?

As I look ahead to Year Two, it feels like we have a strong foundation from which to build. There’ll be plenty of opportunities in clean growth and trade and investment, as well as strong potential for UK-Canada collaboration to deliver secure, sustainable and ethical supplies of the critical minerals needed to reach net zero. Scientific collaboration looks set for lift-off under a suite of new UK programmes designed to boost international partnerships. We’ll keep working to amplify Indigenous voices and build those connections. And I’m also looking forward to exploring more of this beautiful part of the world, including my first trip to Prince Rupert & Kitimat next week, as well as other parts of BC, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories – sometimes for work, and sometimes for mountains...

At the foundation of it all will continue to be our relationships and the values and ambitions that the UK and BC share: to create a sustainable future through clean tech, to build a thriving economy that supports long-term growth, and to foster more inclusive and equitable partnerships to help us get there.

It would be great to hear from you. What connections would you like to see grow between the UK and BC next year??