Plan Will Tackle Jobs Crisis in Province
Today Chris Warkentin, M.P. for Grande Prairie – Mackenzie, joined fellow M.P.’s Michelle Rempel and Matt Jeneroux to unveil the Alberta Jobs Taskforce, a new initiative that will help get Albertans back to work.
Unemployment in Alberta is quickly becoming a crisis situation. Since the beginning of 2015 the unemployment rate has risen from 4.8% to 8.4%, and there are currently over 200,000 Albertans without a job.
The Alberta Jobs Taskforce will begin a series of intensive consultations with Albertan families, workers and employers about ways to stimulate the economy and create jobs. Alberta Conservative MP’s will make recommendation directly to the Prime Minister based on what Albertans say.
The federal Liberal government has yet to commit any new resources to Alberta. Recently, the Trudeau government announced the introduction of a costly, job-killing carbon tax that would raise prices on everyday families just trying to make ends meet.
“The numbers are shocking. But the reality is that these are not just statistics and numbers. These are real Albertans, with real families, who are just trying to survive at this point,” Warkentin stated. “The longer this recession is allowed to continue the greater the impact it will have on families in the Peace Country and beyond.”
“The Trudeau government is making a very bad situation much worse by adding taxes and bureaucratic red-tape at the worst possible time,” Warkentin added. “Without a clear and targeted plan in place, companies will continue to move their new investments elsewhere, families will continue to struggle, and skilled workers will be forced to line-up for EI.”
“Albertan families, workers and employers cannot wait. We must act and we must act quickly,” Warkentin continued. “This task force demonstrates to Albertans and to all Canadians that unlike the Liberal government the Conservative party is fighting for the middle class, and will not rest until their voices are heard.”
Quick Facts:
- Since the start of 2015, Alberta has lost a fifth of its natural resource jobs, a fifth of its agriculture jobs, and a full quarter of its manufacturing jobs.
- EI Numbers released mid-September showed that EI claims were up by almost 92%.
- There is more than eight million square feet of vacant office space in Calgary alone.