NDP DEMANDS EMERGENCY DEBATE ON JOBS CRISIS IN ALBERTA

EDMONTON – Following a week of devastating job losses in Alberta, the Alberta NDP Caucus is calling for a special emergency debate on the first day of the fall legislative session to address the UCP’s failing response to the jobs crisis.

Despite promises from the UCP that accelerating their $4.7 billion corporate giveaway would create jobs and spur investment, Albertans have seen the exact opposite. Last week, TC Energy laid off an unknown number of workers, Suncor Energy announced they will fire approximately 2,000 workers over the next 18 months, and the University of Alberta announced 650 more jobs would be lost on campus.

Alberta MLAs will be called back to the legislature on Tuesday, October 20, at which time the NDP is demanding regular business be suspended for a special emergency debate on the economy. 

“Tens of thousands of Albertans have lost their jobs under Jason Kenney's corporate handout, a plan that’s failing families and doing nothing to create jobs,” said NDP House Leader Heather Sweet. “How can MLAs be expected to discuss routine business when business in Alberta is anything but routine?”

In April and May of this year, the government convened two special emergency debates on the COVID-19 and the government’s response to the pandemic. More than 50,000 full-time jobs were lost in Alberta before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the province.

“We can’t keep going on like this,” said NDP Energy Critic Irfan Sabir. “Albertans want to know how many jobs have been lost, they want an explanation for why this government is accelerating its no-jobs corporate handout, and they want a concrete plan for creating jobs and growing the economy.”

“We have a jobs crisis in this province. It’s real, it’s urgent, the Premier has recently admitted this and Albertans deserve to know what this government is doing to fix it.”