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Mason issues statement to Albertans
Media Releases | Alberta's NDP Opposition | October 14, 2009
EDMONTON– Below is a transcript of a statement released by Alberta NDP leader Brian Mason today, in anticipation of tonight’s public address by Premier Ed Stelmach.
Mr. Mason will also be appearing on Alberta Primetime at 7 p.m. this evening, as part of a political panel responding to the Premier’s address.
Statement from Brian Mason
Title: Stelmach Government taking Alberta in the wrong direction.
Alberta has so many advantages; it’s hard to understand why we are again facing deficits and major cuts to health care, education and other important public services. This wasn’t supposed to happen again, and yet it is. People are demanding to know why. They want to know what the Stelmach government did to prevent this crisis, and what it’s doing now to set things straight.But they are unlikely to get a clear answer from Mr. Stelmach – tonight, or any time before the next election. Nor are Albertans likely to get a straight answer about what happened to the promises he made in the last election. Where are the 600 new long-term care beds he promised? Where is the new royalty revenue? Where are the new hospitals and clinics we need?
Mr. Stelmach and the PC party didn’t level with Albertans in the last election. He didn’t tell us that he would be turning our health care system upside down – closing beds, leaving mentally ill patients out on the street, cutting positions, and leaving nursing graduates with no choice but to leave the province. He didn’t tell us that when his government eliminated health care premiums, it would not replace the $1 billion in revenue and would instead cut it from the health care budget.
Because he concealed his plans from Albertans, Mr. Stelmach cannot now claim to have a mandate to dismantle our health care system.
Albertans are asking, “How did we get into this mess, yet again?” Years of cutting taxes on profitable corporations, and charging the lowest oil royalties in the world have left Alberta far too dependent on natural gas royalties. These royalties are very volatile, so Alberta’s finances go up and down like a yo-yo. Right now natural gas prices are relatively low, and so are Alberta’s revenues.
Mr. Stelmach believes we just have to accept this situation. I do not. I believe we have it within our ability to shield our public services from the ups and downs of the oil and gas markets. Fair royalties and fair taxes are key to ensuring that our public services are available to all, regardless of the price of natural gas at a particular time.
Mr. Stelmach and his appointed hatchet men, Ron Liepert and Stephen Duckett are doing great harm to our health care system. If they are following a plan, they have not shared it with Albertans. This is unacceptable – the system belongs to Albertans, and they have a right to be informed and consulted.
To this end, Rachel Notley and I have been touring the province, holding public hearings and listening to Albertans on health care. We have heard great concern from seniors who are afraid they won’t be able to afford the care they need. We’ve heard from those whose families have been touched by mental illness, and are worried that their loved ones may end up on the street. And we’ve heard from nursing students who were encouraged to pursue that career by this government, only to be told there won’t be jobs for them unless they leave the province.
Albertans are asking why the government is making these cuts while pouring billions into unproven and potentially dangerous carbon capture technology. They are subsidising Shell Oil and other profitable international corporations to the tune of $2 billion. I think this is wrong. Shell should be asked to limit its CO2 emissions in the way it thinks best, and pay its own costs of doing so.
Alberta has a wonderful opportunity to use its energy wealth to invest in renewable energy sources and energy conservation. We should start now to position our province as the energy leader in Canada and the world in the green energy future that is coming. Already Europe and the United States are ahead of us. There’s no time to lose. The future prosperity of our province, our children and our grandchildren depend on it.
Fellow Albertans, we need a new direction for our province. We should set aside old policies and broken promises. Alberta can have stable revenues to provide health care and other public services that are there when you need them. It can provide a secure and dignified future for our seniors. It can provide an exciting and prosperous future for our young people. And it can lead the way to an environmentally responsible economy to serve this generation and those to come. We can do it, if we chart a new direction together. Thank you.
Tagged with: alberta, shell oil, ed stelmach, brian mason, alberta ndp
