One of the biggest issues in Alberta today is the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion debacle. We continue to sell Alberta oil to the United States at a steep discount, and we need our oil to reach the global marketplace.
I recently joined my colleagues for a meeting of the Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship. The UCP committee members championed a motion requesting that Alberta’s energy minister report to the committee and discuss where things stand with this vitally important project.
Notice the name of this committee: Resource Stewardship. Our province is blessed with abundant natural resources that enable our economy and communities to prosper if we are good stewards and manage them appropriately.
Throughout their time in government, the NDP have blocked the committee from dealing with issues that actually relate to our province’s resources. The NDP either do not value our resources as they should, or they do not want to shine a spotlight on their failure to be effective stewards of our valuable assets.
At this last meeting, the NDP committee members had to go out of their way to prevent the energy minister from having to answer questions about Trans Mountain and explain the government’s plan now that taxpayers have bought the project and a court has quashed its approval.
The NDP government was counting on the Trans Mountain expansion being built and providing government revenue when they made their budget.
The energy minister herself has stated that without the additional pipeline capacity that Trans Mountain would provide, the government will lose $1 billion annually in revenue.
We know that the pipeline is at the very least significantly delayed, so Albertans deserve to know what this means for them. The NDP are keeping Albertans in the dark rather than being transparent about a situation of significant consequence to all Albertans.
This NDP government went “all in” on its partnership with the Trudeau Liberals, and it hasn’t done anything to get our resources to new markets.
Is the NDP going to continue relying on the federal government? Or will the NDP finally take a stand and defend Albertans, and if so, what will that look like? Is there a Plan B if Trans Mountain is cancelled entirely? Albertans are anxious and they deserve answers.
If the NDP are truly proud of their accomplishments and confident in their plan going forward, the minister should not hide from a multi-party committee of the legislature.
- By Jason Nixon, the United Conservative Party MLA for Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre.
