A look at noteworthy addresses in...

A look at noteworthy addresses in the Southland

Michael Harcourt, premier of British Columbia, Canada, spoke Tuesday at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. His speech was co-sponsored by Town Hall of California and the Canada California Chamber of Commerce. Harcourt’s topic was “British Columbia and the Pacific Rim: The California Connection.” From his address: On British Columbia and California “British Columbia shares many things with California. . . . We have the same cultures, the famous West Coast culture, which we don’t have to describe to each other but we all know about. We have similar markets, particularly to the Asia-Pacific. We have similar interests and concerns for the future. . . . We’re traders and we have been . . . for many, many decades. . . . I say, half-seriously, that British Columbia has more in common with Singapore and Hong Kong than we do with Ontario and Quebec because we’re basically a free-trade zone. We have very few trade barriers, very few tariffs and we’re used to being out in the world markets, dealing with world commodity prices.”

On Controlling Government Spending “One of the major challenges facing governments . . . is in the whole area of restructuring . . . and spending smarter. In this competitive economic environment, governments have to take the lead and set an example. That’s been a priority for my government in the last year, making government more effective, more efficient and less costly. I say that not just because I’m a Scot . . . from Aberdeen, but as a mayor who had to balance a budget, by law, when I was the mayor of Vancouver, in our very serious recession in 1981 to 1986. And if I didn’t balance it, I was personally liable. That’s a very good incentive to balance the budget. Maybe we should get our national governments to do the same, what do you think?”

Looking Ahead Tuesday: Conductor Michael Lamkin will speak on “Anton Dvorak: The Rise of Czech Nationalism,” 6:45 p.m., Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, Claremont McKenna College, 385 E. 8th St., Claremont. Free and open to the public.

Wednesday: Chase Untermeyer, director, Voice of America, on “International Broadcasting in the Post-Cold War Era”, noon, Marriott Hotel, Century City. Sponsored by Town Hall. Call 213-628-8141.