Fort McMurray-Conklin PC Candidate, Don Scott outlines how the Prentice Plan will protect Alberta jobs in the oil and gas industry.
By Don Scott, PC Candidate Fort McMurray-Conklin
As a longtime Fort McMurray resident, I know firsthand how important the oil and gas sector is to Alberta’s communities, families and economy.
Managing my own law firm in Fort McMurray, I saw how the oil and gas sector was a powerful booster. When resource prices were good, we all did well – from car dealerships, to restaurants and hotels, to retail shopping. That meant plenty of good jobs in this community.
We can create jobs and grow our economy by building on areas of strength – like the oil and gas advantage.
To do this, the Prentice Plan will expand our reach into more markets around the world. It includes realistic actions to:
- Take advantage of the Canada – EU Free Trade Agreement, which will further open the world’s largest market for Alberta’s energy products;
- Expand our market access and our petrochemical capacity, to become a preferred global supplier of petrochemicals and other energy products; and
- Work to expand export infrastructure in Canada so that Alberta’s energy products can be efficiently delivered to many markets in North America and around the world.
But it’s also important to ensure we protect the jobs we have now. In a competitive global economy, jobs can be moved anywhere and we need to make sure they stay right here in Alberta. That’s why the Prentice Plan will give businesses the incentive to stay here and employ Albertans. It will:
- Maintain our competitive corporate tax advantage;
- Invest in infrastructure to get products to market faster and keep our economy moving; and
- Balance Alberta’s budget by 2017, even if oil prices don’t recover- sending a signal to credit rating agencies, investors and businesses that Alberta is a safe place to invest.
The oil and gas sector is an amazing Alberta success story. It’s an industry that drives growth in our province, shapes our communities, and provides many families with good opportunities.
It’s important we continue that track record of success, and do everything we can to realize the full potential of Alberta’s resources. And I know that with Jim Prentice’s leadership, that will happen. He does what he says he will – and the Willow Square land transfer is a perfect example of that.
During the leadership race, Jim Prentice visited Fort McMurray and I described the circumstances to him of Willow Square and the land. He looked me square in the eye and said, ‘This can be fixed.’ It was at that moment that I knew that we were going to solve this issue. And as soon as he became Premier, he did.
That’s the leadership we need to protect jobs, strengthen and diversify our economy, and secure our future.