Good evening.
My name is Brian Jean.
Leader of the Wildrose Official Opposition.
I’d like to thank the people of Alberta for the opportunity to speak with you tonight.
I know you are worried and I hope to outline for you this evening a vision that provides hope and restores the Alberta Advantage.
I’m here today, because of a family tragedy.
Like many other Albertans, we suffered under a health care system, that wasn’t there for our family when we needed it.
It is why I am here. I care deeply about making Alberta a better place.
I come from Fort McMurray.
Our story is Alberta’s story.
It’s your story.
The story of hardworking men and women, who care deeply about Alberta being a province that shines brightly.
But today, families, through no fault of their own, are suffering.
Despite my incredible optimism for our province, the challenges ahead are significant.
We can no longer simply hope for the price of oil to rebound, to get Albertans back to work, and secure our long-term prosperity.
Through a series of tax increases and increased regulations, Alberta’s competitive edge on every front and across almost all industries is slipping.
Around kitchen tables, families have less money in their wallets, and are now worried about a 3-billion-dollar carbon tax that they cannot afford.
For the first time in recent memory, more people are leaving our province than moving in.
Albertans tell me they are worried our province is no longer a place that inspires our neighbours.
The broader political landscape has also changed. In Ottawa, we have a government that simply does not understand the issues we face.
From red tape on pipelines, to tanker bans on the west coast, to discriminating against energy workers in an unfair EI system, and to a broken equalization system…
Our federal government is saying it does not care about Alberta’s interests.
But do not allow hope to lose out to fear. Your official opposition will never be ashamed to fight for our oil and gas sector and all industries in Alberta, to speak plainly on the need for pipelines, to stand up for workers in manufacturing, farming, refining, the arts, and for our entrepreneurs.
We believe that in so many areas Alberta is a world leader and that we have so much to be proud of. Alberta should not apologize for the false criticisms from our opponents. We believe a strong Alberta should tell our story with confidence and passion.
It begins, with getting our financial house in order.
After making sacrifices and proudly earning our status as a debt-free province a decade ago… in a few short years Albertans will face $50 billion of debt.
Interest payments will soon be the largest expense in government after health, education and social services.
Credit rating agencies are taking notice.
Large deficits have become the norm over the last decade and it’s just not sustainable.
Over the long haul, ballooning interest payments means less money for hospitals, schools, teachers and nurses.
Taxes will be raised, not to pay for the programs we need, but to pay back the banks for the loans we take.
We cannot spend our way out of a deficit.
We cannot borrow our way out of debt.
And, we all know that simply spending more money doesn’t make the system better.
Raising taxes isn’t the solution either. It’s short-sighted and will drive money and jobs out of our economy.
The fact is, no society has ever taxed its way back to prosperity.
What we need is fiscal discipline.
We need from the government a firm timeline to get back to balanced budgets.
We need to actually hold the line on spending and look for ways to find just a few pennies of savings for every dollar spent.
When you consider our neighbours in British Columbia spend 20 percent less on government than we do, actually reducing spending by just a few percent is a modest step towards better government.
And, I truly believe, we can get back to balanced budgets without any cuts to the nurses and teachers that Albertans rely on.
Only by getting our financial house in order, can Alberta, once again, stand with confidence on its own two feet.
To balance the budget, we need a strong and growing economy. In the 1990s, the price of oil was roughly the same as it is today.
But, instead of risking billions of tax dollars in new government ventures, our government set out a course of policies that led to one of the most prosperous decades in Alberta’s history.
This is the vision Wildrose has for our province.
An Alberta that cares for those unable to care for themselves, but generates prosperity and lets people enjoy the rewards of their hard work.
But today, Alberta now has the highest business taxes in western Canada. Small business owners are being strangled in red tape.
And a new carbon tax, along with changes to our electricity grid, will not only raise your power bills… but will hurt our economy.
The Wildrose 12-point jobs action plan seeks to reverse these trends by restoring the Alberta Advantage, getting Albertans back to work and providing stability for all sectors of our economy.
With ideas like reducing the small business tax, stopping the carbon tax, returning massive WCB surpluses to create jobs, we can get our province back on track.
Your Wildrose team has been working hard to tackle these important issues, and others…
Like creating an expert panel to study equalization fairness, and putting forward ideas to reduce dental fees, protect front line services in health and education, improve mental health, and keep our communities safe.
I promise you, your Wildrose opposition, will work every day to bring forward positive ideas that make our province a better place.
It won’t solve everything, but we will never stop listening to how you want to see Alberta reach its full potential.
We will push to make sure that this government makes things better and not worse.
I know the next year won’t be easy for many of you.
But I believe in Alberta and most importantly, I believe in our people. Your Wildrose conservative opposition is here for you.
And we will work every day to make Alberta the best it can be.
Thank you and may God bless Alberta.