HIGH RIVER — An air of frustration is being felt around the province by Conservative leader hopeful Peter MacKay as he visits Alberta during a campaign tour.
He made a brief stop in High River on March 3 to attend a round table meeting with Conservative party members and interested citizens.
Although he said many people in Alberta are at their wit’s end and feeling as though Ottawa is not listening, he’s heartened to hear overall patriotism and a commitment to Canada.
“Just like the weather and the chinooks that roll in here, there’s a real feeling we need to change the channel on Ottawa and get the respect and attention and the necessary adjustments, both through legislation and through our economy, that will not only clear the tracks and get things moving again, but clear the way for the natural resource sector, the ag sector, our oil and gas sector, to do what it does well – and that’s produce jobs and wealth, productivity, be a competitive country,” said MacKay.
He said billions of dollars in investment have been turned away from Canada over the past five years under the Liberal government, and his intent would be to guide the Conservatives to reignite the economy and reunite the nation.
One of his goals in travelling across Canada is to hear directly what “good, down-to-earth people” have to say about the current economical and political situation, and to learn how to address the serious problems faced by the country, as well as offer up some of his own suggestions.
Most notably, he said pipelines need to be built. They would provide thousands of jobs and contribute billions of dollars to the national economy. It’s something that would benefit Albertans and the rest of the country as well, he said.
“I’m someone coming from the far east, Atlantic Canada, who believes what’s good for Alberta and good for Saskatchewan is good for Canada,” said MacKay. “I bring a message that I like to call a love letter from the East. We thank you for our schools, our hospitals, our roads, our social services. Much of which have been sponsored by transfers from the west.”
He said there was a time when the resources flowed the other direction, and if proof of what makes Canada strong – its jurisdictions and people help each other when times get tough.
The situation in Alberta is no joke, he said. He’s feeling it personally, watching a number of his friends who left the Maritimes for Fort McMurray and their struggles, and seeing his sister be forced to return home from Leduc because her husband is a commercial electrician and can’t find work.
“We need to resolve it,” said MacKay.
He said the simplest answer is to change the government, but that’s easier said than done, as the last federal election proved to Conservative voters.
The only way to truly combat environmental activism and prevent big projects from falling by the wayside, like the Teck Frontier project that was withdrawn in February is to have a different government at the helm, he said.
“It’s a setback to our economy. We all pay for that,” said MacKay.
The government should have sent an unequivocal signal to police to enforce the law and remove the blockades immediately, rather than allowing the situation to go on for weeks and permitting activists to essentially halt transportation of critical goods like medicine, food, petroleum, propane, and the ability to export goods, he said.
“This is absolutely devastating in addition to some of the other conditions that are going on in the country,” said MacKay. “We know of the storm clouds that are gathering and the potential for a recession. This tips Canada further and further towards that cliff.”
As for gaining a Conservative stronghold in Canada, he equated the party’s influence to a “big blue tent,” and said the time has come to move the tent pegs out and cover more of the nation.
As for how, he said the first order of business is to speak with Canadians and develop thoughtful, budget-conscious policies that will work, including a climate change framework that will address the real issue and not just tax it.
“Climate change is real and we have to do something about it,” said MacKay. “A carbon tax isn’t a plan, it’s just a tax. It’s not going to actually reduce carbon emissions.”
He said Canadian oil and gas is the cleanest, most ethically-produced and highly-regulated in the world, and it’s time to share that fact and come up with an approach to climate change that won’t hinder the industry or private citizens.
Should he take the Conservative leadership, MacKay said the game plan for the next election will be to campaign more aggressively in urban centres and other areas of the country where blue hasn’t had a strong showing in recent elections.
As of March 4, MacKay was the front-runner in the Tory leadership race according to a Leger polling firm survey.
The leadership seat became available when Andrew Scheer announced his resignation in December. Only Conservative Party members are eligible to vote on June 27 and memberships must be purchased by April 17.
