News
Alberta Party supports call for resignation of Shannon Phillips
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.
Stephen Mandel Proposes Economic Development Division Focused on Alberta Energy
December 31, 2018 (Edmonton) – Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel is taking issue with Jason Kenney’s suggestion to engage energy industry CEOs in a ‘war room’ and proposing a smarter alternative that is rooted in how business and government should function.
“Jason’s belief that CEOs need to start fights with environmental organizations shows his fundamental inexperience and lack of understanding as to what a CEO’s role is. CEOs are in place to generate profit and value for shareholders, not to get involved in political fights that they can’t and won’t win,” said Mandel.
Greg Clark voted Best Opposition MLA for Second Year
Alberta Party MLA Greg Clark has been voted Best Opposition MLA of 2018 by daveberta.ca.
After more than 2100 votes were cast, more than 2 times the previous year) through 2 rounds of voting the results were announced on the web site.
Greg achieved 54.1% of the vote to win the award.
Greg was the first MLA elected under the Alberta Party and was party leader until 2017. Clark is well known for being very active as an opposition critic and the past 12 months have been no different.
Greg currently represents the Calgary - Elbow riding and also is a member of the Resource Stewardship and Public Accounts standing committees.
Greg is running for reelection in the Calgary - Elbow riding in 2019.
Alberta Party Caucus calls for jobs, not loans, for Albertans
Alberta Party Caucus calls for jobs, not loans, for Albertans
December 18, 2018 (Calgary) – MLA Greg Clark, the Alberta Party Caucus Energy Critic, said today the federal government’s announcement does nothing for the oil and gas industry and does nothing to save or create jobs in Alberta.
“It's like everything from Ottawa: it's not what we need, it's not what we want and it's not what we asked for," said Clark. “Alberta has lost more than 100,000 jobs since 2015. The federal government’s answer is business development and export development loans and training that might help create jobs in the next five to ten years.
“None of that helps us today. Albertans need jobs and concrete solutions that lead to jobs today – not five to ten years down the road. The federal government is responsible for the current mess we’re facing on pipelines, and the NDP clearly isn’t getting results.
“Work sharing and income supports are band-aid solutions on a mortal wound. The best way to get out of work Albertans back on the job is getting a pipeline built. The best way to prevent further job losses is to get a pipeline built. The federal government’s approach smacks of defeatism, and doesn’t do anything to improve takeaway capacity.
“Today’s announcement doesn’t get us any closer to new markets. It doesn’t get us any closer to any new jobs to replace the ones that have been lost to date. And as the federal government has clearly told us today, there is nothing coming from this government to support oil and gas – it’s all about transitioning to a greener economy in the next ten-plus years. They keep telling us they’re working on it – but we don’t need activity. We need results, and clearly there aren’t going to be any results forthcoming from the federal or NDP governments.
“The Alberta Party Caucus is the only party that can get Alberta's energy sector back up and running and Albertans back to work, so we can restore investor confidence, diversify the economy and lead the world in environmental and social sustainability as we get pipelines built.”
Federal announcement a $1.6 billion PR move that makes no sense
December 18, 2018 (Edmonton) – Today’s federal announcement of $1.6 billion in support for Alberta’s energy sector is another example of the feds and province reacting to problems of their own creation.
“Corporate welfare is not a solution. Government’s job is to create the conditions which will allow our entrepreneurs and energy sector to succeed. This announcement does nothing to actually expand market access. It is a $1.6 billion PR move that makes no practical sense,” said Alberta Party leader Stephen Mandel.
“Until we have more pipeline access or more railway capacity, this government needs to remove the barriers to market access that they have created with Bill C-48 and Bill C-69. Throwing money at us doesn’t solve the root cause of the problems,” concluded Mandel.