EDMONTON, AB: Premier Rachel Notley missed a golden opportunity to highlight Energy East and the importance of market access during her speech to the Montreal Chamber of Commerce, the Wildrose Official Opposition said.
The omission comes less than a week after telling delegates at the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) convention that she plans to achieve the building of a pipeline that will carry the province’s oil to new markets through, “ongoing discussions with British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.”
“Working to promote Alberta is critical, and today would have been a great time to talk about the importance of Energy East to our economy here at home, and across Canada,” Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said. “Wildrose knows Alberta’s economy is reeling and that Albertans are looking for a strong voice that will stand up for our province. We hope Ms. Notley won’t miss another opportunity in the future to talk about Alberta’s incredible story and contribution to our country’s economy.”
Wildrose is committed to protecting jobs in our energy sector and to ensure resources can get to market. In contrast, the Premier has directly stated she is against Keystone XL, called Northern Gateway ‘not the right decision,’ and hired key staff members who have opposed the Kinder Morgan Pipeline expansion and Energy East.
“Albertans are looking to the Premier to sell the importance of our energy sector and the creation of pipelines as a means of spurring investment in our economy that will lead to the creation of jobs,” Wildrose Shadow Energy Minister Leela Aheer said. “Instead, the Premier used the first stop on her junket to voice her opinions on what is supposed to be an independent Climate Change Review Panel.”
The Premier’s speech was not available for Albertans to view, save for a feed from a local Montreal television station. The text of the speech has not been released.