News

January 31, 2019 (Edmonton) – The Alberta Party today issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court of Canada ruling this morning that energy companies cannot abandon their responsibility to clean up old oil and natural gas wells in the case of bankruptcy:

“The Alberta Party is troubled by the failings of past governments on the issue of well remediation and reclamation,” said Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel. " This is a serious problem that now needs immediate attention."

January 25, 2019 (Edmonton) – With Bill C-48 coming into effect and restricting oil tanker traffic on the Northwest Coast of British Columbia, the Alberta Party is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to also declare a moratorium on oil tanker traffic in the St. Lawrence Seaway.

January 17, 2019 (Edmonton) – With a new poll released by the Angus Reid Institute showing a majority of Canadians believe the pipeline crisis is a national issue that needs to be addressed, Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel is proposing a holistic approach to getting the province working.

“We have a practical, multi-pronged approach to getting more value for our resources, getting more of our resources to market, and getting job quality and wage growth back on track for Albertans,” said Mandel.

“We’ve proposed an active engagement process with Indigenous proponents, such as the Indian Resource Council (IRC), the Eagle Spirit Pipeline, and local hereditary and elected leaders to negotiate mutual benefit agreements and address concerns in a meaningful manner.

“We were the first political party to call for a mandated curtailment of oil production to help reduce the impact of the oil differential back in November; – plan that has shown in the short term to have a positive impact for Alberta’s resource owners: taxpayers.

January 11, 2019 (Calgary) – In light of a recent incident of animal cruelty in Lethbridge, Alberta Party Caucus leader and MLA for Calgary-South East Rick Fraser is once again calling on the government to update the Animal Protection Act.

Shocking video of a Lethbridge police officer repeatedly driving over a deer in distress highlights the need for stronger protections for animals and harsher punishment for those who commit acts of cruelty.

“What happened in Lethbridge, as well as the recent incident involving cruelty to a coyote, serve as powerful reminders that we can do more to protect the welfare of animals.”

“I am once again calling on the Minister of Agriculture to act. We have worked with his office to bring forward reasonable, common-sense changes to legislation, and his continued refusal to address this issue is outrageous.”

“I hope the Minister will heed my call, so we can take steps to ensure such an awful display of cruelty is never repeated.”

January 10, 2019 (Edmonton) – Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel is supporting the calls for the resignation of Environment Minister Shannon Phillips after the bungled consultations process and walking back a misleading statement about threat levels and the engagement of RCMP related to the consultations.

“A process that has been more insult than consult, Minister Phillips came to the Bighorn area with a prescriptive option and tried to dress it up as public consultations,” said Mandel.

“The government has the resources to ensure meaningful dialogue and consultations occur. Predictably, those who will be impacted became concerned and started to voice that concern. 

“Being a cabinet minister, you must be prepared to face and answer tough questions. While intimidation or harassment are not acceptable, misleading the public as to the level of threat and the involvement of the RCMP affects the credibility of Ms. Phillips as a cabinet minister and she no longer has the confidence of the Alberta Party to be able to execute the duties attached to her role, and as such she must resign immediately,” concluded Mandel.

The Alberta Party is committed to Alberta, and to the values of prosperity, fiscal and social responsibility, environmental sustainability, accountable government, and strong communities.