EDMONTON, AB (December 4, 2015): After Alberta lost 15,000 jobs in November, the NDP should back down from their risky economic policies instead of telling Albertans out-of-work to take a hike out-of-province, the Wildrose Official Opposition said today.
In a speech to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Land Administration, NDP Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd said, “certainly there are always talks of about mobility of jobs between provinces so maybe they can go work in B.C. until it gets better and come back home.”
New data released by Statistics Canada today shows Alberta’s unemployment rate has reached 7 per cent, 2.6 per cent points worse than just one year ago. Alberta’s jobless rate is now at its highest level since April 2010, and is higher than Ontario for the first time since the 1990s.
“For the 15,000 Albertans laid off last month, these comments are nothing short of offensive,” Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said. “Albertans want Alberta to be great and be an economic leader. What they don’t want is to see an exodus of families outside of our province because of bad NDP economic policies.”
With new carbon taxes, higher business taxes, more red-tape and ongoing uncertainty being bred with the NDP royalty review, Wildrose Shadow Energy Minister Leela Aheer said the minister needs to shoulder the blame for the damage NDP policies are doing to Alberta’s economy.
“Instead of telling oil patch workers to move to BC, Alberta would be better off if these NDP ministers moved there,” Aheer said. “NDP policies are directly hurting our energy sector, and it’s time they start owning up to it instead of telling Albertans to ship themselves away from their homes.”