MP, chamber blast Liberals for not supporting local businesses in sanitizer production

Photo: Contributed

North Okanagan MP Mel Arnold is outraged over the federal government ignoring local companies while spending millions with foreign corporations.

The Conservative MP is blasting the Liberals for spending $375 million on hand sanitizer from international companies while passing over Canadian companies that have stepped up to produce as much sanitizer as they can with out federal aid.

Throughout the COVID pandemic, Okanagan Spirits has donated thousands of litres of hand sanitizer at a cost to the company of $480,000.

“I want to commend distilleries like Okanagan Spirits and others who stepped up. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their service, but to hear the government is sending hundreds of millions of dollars overseas to Chinese firms and ignoring small businesses is absolutely appalling.”

Arnold says it is part of a pattern by the ruling Liberals to favour foreign corporations over Canadian businesses.

The Conservatives have challenged the Liberals on the matter and plan to keep pressure on the Trudeau government.

“This is a place where this government failed to support Canadian businesses by going overseas with their purchases,” said Arnold.

The Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce has also chimed in on the snub.

The chamber has written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier John Horgan about the need to support craft distilleries, which in many cases, donated the sanitizer to frontline workers.

“Sanitizer was in significant demand, and, in most cases, distillers provided it for free to those on the frontlines of the pandemic – health care professionals, medical outreach workers, educators, care home workers and postal and retail staff,” said Krystin Kempton, Greater Vernon chamber president.

“Distillers answered the call from government to do what they could to support Canadians during this unprecedented crisis.”

Kempton said the chamber is “extremely disappointed” to learn the federal government paid $375 million to offshore sources for sanitizer.

“As the federal government proceeds with providing Canadians with additional health and safety resources and as the nation moves towards economic recovery, we would request that future contracts for sanitizer be directed towards domestic producers and particularly craft distilleries across Canada. These distilleries create significant direct employment, but they also support local suppliers and farmers,” said Kempton.