A year ago, this column described the Justin Trudeau government香蕉视频直播檚 plan to borrow and spend close to $1 billion on an 香蕉视频直播渋nnovation and skills plan香蕉视频直播� to create 香蕉视频直播渟uperclusters.香蕉视频直播�

B.C. got its own supercluster last week, part of a nation-wide network announced by federal Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains. Ours is the Digital Technology Supercluster, getting an undisclosed share of the $950 million set aside in the 2017 federal budget.

What are superclusters, you may ask. They香蕉视频直播檙e like the innovation clusters announced in the 2016 federal budget, only bigger. According to Bains, their job is to 香蕉视频直播渟upercharge Canada香蕉视频直播檚 regional innovation ecosystems and build Canada as a global centre for innovation.香蕉视频直播� The B.C. one in particular is 香蕉视频直播渁 made-in-Canada Silicon Valley that will create tens of thousands of jobs.香蕉视频直播�

It香蕉视频直播檚 not all tax dollars. TELUS, Microsoft, Teck, Canfor and other corporations have committed $500 million, along with most of B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 post-secondary institutions, led by UBC.

Bruce Ralston, B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology, was thrilled to announce B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播渨inning bid香蕉视频直播� for a share of the federal cash. But of course, in the Ottawa style, there were no losing bids. Atlantic Canada 香蕉视频直播渨ins香蕉视频直播� an Ocean Supercluster, Quebec gets one devoted to artificial intelligence, Ontario香蕉视频直播檚 is for 香蕉视频直播渘ext-generation manufacturing,香蕉视频直播� and the prairie provinces get a Protein Industries Supercluster based in Saskatchewan.

This so-called innovation bureaucracy is on top of Canada香蕉视频直播檚 regional economic development programs. Stephen Harper香蕉视频直播檚 Conservatives railed against political slush funds like the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and then when he got into government, he set up Western Economic Development Canada to even things up. Now we have supercluster blobs of icing on the business subsidy cake.

The newly created Protein Industries Canada web page illustrates how contrived this whole thing is. 香蕉视频直播淥utcomes from this cluster will be a new range of plant-derived foods, ingredients and feedstuffs of superior quality, commanding market premiums.香蕉视频直播�

Feedstuffs? Only in Canada, eh? Perhaps these buzzwords and subsidies mean that shoppers will be able to find Canadian-made mustard at their local supermarket, considering the Canadian prairies are the largest mustard seed producer in the world. From French香蕉视频直播檚 to Grey Poupon, our finished product is mostly made in the U.S. by multi-nationals.

Back to B.C., where Microsoft and other high-tech giants have set up branch plants in Vancouver, or bought startups. It香蕉视频直播檚 a natural extension of the original Silicon Valley, which has always extended to the Seattle area, home of Microsoft, Amazon and others.

It香蕉视频直播檚 similar to the 香蕉视频直播淗ollywood North香蕉视频直播� movie business. Same time zone, attractive climate, great scenery, oh, and whopping government subsidies.

Why don香蕉视频直播檛 more investors, high tech or otherwise, set up shop in B.C.? Is it a lack of subsidies and 香蕉视频直播渋nnovation香蕉视频直播� programs by governments? The B.C. government has just appointed an 香蕉视频直播渋nnovation commissioner香蕉视频直播� to go with the 香蕉视频直播渋nnovation advisor香蕉视频直播� appointed last year by former premier , to try to induce entrepreneurial activity here.

When the Trudeau government announced the 香蕉视频直播渟uperclusters香蕉视频直播� plan last year, they acknowledged that one of Ottawa香蕉视频直播檚 biggest problems was too many 香蕉视频直播渋nnovation香蕉视频直播� programs 香蕉视频直播� an astonishing 140 of them. The 2017 budget promised to review and simplify them.

I香蕉视频直播檝e searched for news that this has occurred, and I couldn香蕉视频直播檛 find any. What we have instead is more layers, at the federal and provincial level.

And what else has the new B.C. government done to attract risk-taking entrepreneurs? It has re-introduced an extra tax bracket for people making more than $150,000 a year, bringing their total tax burden up to half of their income.

Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca