EDMONTON, AB: With unemployment in Alberta soaring to the highest level it’s been since 1994, the NDP government needs to take the blinders off and reverse many of its risky economic decisions, the Wildrose Official Opposition said.
According to new data from Statistics Canada, over 11,000 more Albertans found themselves looking for work last month as the province’s unemployment rate edged up to 9 per cent. Calgary saw its double-digit unemployment rate go up again to 10.3 per cent.
Alberta on a whole has lost a startling 74,000 good, full-time jobs and counting since last November. These daunting figures contradict claims by the NDP that the province’s economic fortunes are improving.
“It’s time for the NDP to wake up to the economic realities our province is facing, and change course on many of its job-killing policies,” Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said. “The NDP’s $3 billion carbon tax, business and personal tax increases and lawsuits against Alberta-owned power companies, for instance, are all threatening to hold back our economy and cause even more job losses. With oil prices starting to show some life, the time is now for this government to repeal bad economic policies and signal to investors that Alberta is open for business.”
This week, Finance Minister Joe Ceci bragged that his government created thousands of jobsover the second-quarter. Most of those jobs were part-time, however.
The NDP’s carbon tax will come into force in just under one month. This week, Premier Rachel Notley said she supports a $50 per tonne carbon tax that will cost the typical household an extra $2,500 per year.
“Albertans are losing good, full-time jobs by the thousands under this government’s watch, and no amount of spin doctoring can change that,” Wildrose Shadow Jobs Minister Grant Hunter said. “It’s time for this government to scrap the bad policies that are putting Albertans out of work and implement some proven ideas to create jobs and growth, like those outlined in the Wildrose 5-step plan to halt damage to the energy sector and the Wildrose Jobs Action Plan.”