I think it is questionable whether or not George was a solid minister. It is known that he could not persuade government to provide him the agriculture aid package he asked for. I take from that he does not have the respect of caucus.
Since it has been 37 years since we had another government it is hard to compare. Newfoundland’s Premier got a far better deal for their citizens from their provincial oil industry than Alberta has even with the royalty review. And what kind of government could the PCs provide if they did not have that oil revenue.
We see a real imbalance here in the Alberta economy between the haves and the have-nots. Businesses shutting down because they cannot hire help. We see the government now spending money to rebuild the health care and education systems after Klein gutted it. Still Alberta only spends $42 per capita more on health care than Saskatchewan. Remember the Vegriville Hospital scandal? Rural Alberta hospitals have disappeared or are relegated to seniors centers. A woman cannot have a baby in our local hospital.
There is no reason to believe that the Alberta economy has been diversified and will prosper after the oil and gas is gone. Alberta’s environmental record is very questionable not to even mention the effects coal bed methane will have on rural Alberta’s water supply.
Even with our non renewable oil and gas revenues, Alberta’s GDP is no higher than British Columbia’s and our GDP per capita is only 2/3 of the North West Territories. High housing prices mean working people in Alberta live on the streets. A single income family in Alberta would find it very difficult to afford a house. While the income of a family in Calgary is higher than the national average the family income of someone living in Red Deer, Lethbridge or Medicine Hat is merely at or below the national average of the rest of the country which does not have the same oil bounty. Why is that?
What about debt? While the province had got rid of its debt, the municipalities have not. A lot of the strong economy in Alberta is based on debt. Household debt in Alberta is growing faster than household incomes. Those houses being build are not being paid for with cash but are all mortgaged to the max. Personal debt to disposable income is higher in Alberta than in either Saskatchewan or Manitoba.
The PC dynasty in Alberta in not based on what a great job they are doing, rather what a lousy job the opposition is doing. There are lots of problems in Alberta and a government that has been in power that long has lots of skeletons in the closet and carries a great deal of political baggage.
I have not even mentioned the loss of the district agriculture offices. Or deregulation. Or the EUB spies.
Since it has been 37 years since we had another government it is hard to compare. Newfoundland’s Premier got a far better deal for their citizens from their provincial oil industry than Alberta has even with the royalty review. And what kind of government could the PCs provide if they did not have that oil revenue.
We see a real imbalance here in the Alberta economy between the haves and the have-nots. Businesses shutting down because they cannot hire help. We see the government now spending money to rebuild the health care and education systems after Klein gutted it. Still Alberta only spends $42 per capita more on health care than Saskatchewan. Remember the Vegriville Hospital scandal? Rural Alberta hospitals have disappeared or are relegated to seniors centers. A woman cannot have a baby in our local hospital.
There is no reason to believe that the Alberta economy has been diversified and will prosper after the oil and gas is gone. Alberta’s environmental record is very questionable not to even mention the effects coal bed methane will have on rural Alberta’s water supply.
Even with our non renewable oil and gas revenues, Alberta’s GDP is no higher than British Columbia’s and our GDP per capita is only 2/3 of the North West Territories. High housing prices mean working people in Alberta live on the streets. A single income family in Alberta would find it very difficult to afford a house. While the income of a family in Calgary is higher than the national average the family income of someone living in Red Deer, Lethbridge or Medicine Hat is merely at or below the national average of the rest of the country which does not have the same oil bounty. Why is that?
What about debt? While the province had got rid of its debt, the municipalities have not. A lot of the strong economy in Alberta is based on debt. Household debt in Alberta is growing faster than household incomes. Those houses being build are not being paid for with cash but are all mortgaged to the max. Personal debt to disposable income is higher in Alberta than in either Saskatchewan or Manitoba.
The PC dynasty in Alberta in not based on what a great job they are doing, rather what a lousy job the opposition is doing. There are lots of problems in Alberta and a government that has been in power that long has lots of skeletons in the closet and carries a great deal of political baggage.
I have not even mentioned the loss of the district agriculture offices. Or deregulation. Or the EUB spies.
Comment