EDMONTON, AB (October 19, 2016): Wildrose Leader Brian Jean released the following statement on Premier Rachel Notley’s “State of the Province” address:
“Along with most Albertans, I was hoping to hear a realistic assessment of the impact government policies are having on working families across Alberta today.
“Instead, underneath the empty campaign rhetoric and baseless attacks on the opposition, the message was clear: the NDP government is doubling down on its commitment to its risky ideology.
“What Albertans need right now is optimism and hope. What they were hoping for was a commitment from the premier to step back from many of the government’s policies that are doing serious damage to our economy.
“Alberta should be scrapping its plans for a carbon tax that will come into place in just over two months. This tax will do serious damage to Alberta’s economy and our ability to compete with other jurisdictions. We should also be working with conservative and liberal premiers across the country who are opposing Ottawa’s heavy-handed national carbon tax. Alberta should work hard on reducing taxes, bringing stability back to our province and encouraging investment.
“Instead of focusing on how to make government more expensive and unsustainable, Alberta needs to take serious steps to reduce our deficit and sky-rocketing levels of debt. If we don’t, it will only put the long-term sustainability of core services at risk and lead to even higher tax increases for families.
“We need a government that stands on the side of everyday Albertans by only implementing sensible, proven policies that will make their lives better. This is the Wildrose vision for our province.”