Well if we build the things we need closer to home at local factories then we do not need to ship wood all the way to Asia or elsewhere, have them build it into furniture (creating jobs) and then have it shipped back over here for us to buy.
That is the problem in BC, far to many resources leave this province with almost no value added to them.
With a population of 3 million possibly by 2021, not everyone can be employed by the knowledge and non existent business sectors around here. Some industrial areas are growing, but they are all out in the valley, so in the end we have done nothing to reduce the carbon footprint, because the jobs are still located far from where people live (with no good transit connections) and we are still shipping our raw materials around the world, just for them to be shipped back again to us as a finished product.
Of course I understand that we always need trade and strong shipping connections, but it would be nice to build at least a little bit more of what we use locally. And also, maybe add a little more value to our exports.