During the recent election campaign and in many conversations that followed, I have promised that if re-elected I would be a strong representative and that I would use every parliamentary tool available to raise the concerns of constituents severely impacted by the prolonged economic downturn in Alberta.
During the brief sitting that occurred in early December, I delivered a speech in response to the Government’s throne speech, I tabled a number of questions for the government, presented a petition on behalf of constituents, and made the following “Member’s Statement” on concerns I heard during the election campaign, the deteriorating economic situation and the government’s fiscal mismanagement:
“Mr. Speaker, since the government took office, foreign investment has fallen by 56%, $100 billion has left the energy sector and investments in plants and equipment are down. Real wages have barely risen, nearly half of Canadians are within $200 of insolvency and a third of Canadians are broke at the end of each month. October had the highest number of personal bankruptcies in 10 years and per capita GDP is falling. The economy lost 71,000 jobs last month and we are falling behind our international peers. The cost of living is increasing, and standards of living are stagnating. This is not middle-class prosperity.
“Because the government broke its promise to balance the budget within its first term and created a structural deficit without delivering the infrastructure that it promised, it has squandered the fiscal capacity that it inherited during a time of economic growth. Canadians deserve better, and Canadians can count on Conservatives to fight for those working hard to join the middle class and those desperately struggling to remain in it.”
I will continue using all available parliamentary tools to propose positive policy alternatives and oppose measures harmful to my constituents.
