EDMONTON, AB: The NDP government needs to explain to Albertans what panelist Peter Tertzakian meant when he said the royalty review will only leave “segments of the industry competitive,” Wildrose Shadow Energy Minister Leela Aheer said today.
The comments were made over the weekend at a business conference in Lake Louise. Tertzakian followed up those comments by saying, “whenever you have change of this magnitude, there are always elements of the industry that cannot be competitive.”
With companies already pulling back investment because of the review, Aheer said these comments will only bring more uncertainty to an industry already struggling.
“Say good-bye to the Alberta Advantage. Alberta used to pride itself on being the most competitive and welcoming place to invest, now we are literally driving companies out of business,” Aheer said. “The NDP need to explain what companies will be impacted and what the bottom line will be for job losses across the province.”
With the NDP’s massive $3 billion carbon tax, the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors has said without lower royalty rates, Alberta has reduced its, “competitiveness and future employment through additional costs.”
“The NDP seem more committed to their risky ideological experiments instead of doing what’s best for Alberta and Alberta jobs,” Aheer said. “We cannot continue to hammer our energy sector with these policies and expect good results for Albertans.”