Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Alberta was the only province with a notable job loss in February. We lost 14,800 jobs last month. 

My first question is to the Premier. Why are we exporting so many construction and steel fabrication jobs to places like South Korea when the unemployment rate for the construction sector here in this province is increasing?

Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, while it’s certainly disappointing to see the unemployment increases here in the province of Alberta, over the long term we’re going to see the economy pick up and the number of people without a job diminish. Even though the numbers are up, we still have the third highest employment rates in the country of Canada. But to this government even one person that’s without a job is serious, and we want to get all people back to work.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again to the Premier: given that 200 very large production modules for Imperial Oil’s Kearl oil sands project will be shipped from South Korea to Portland, Oregon, then moved by barge up the Columbia and Snake rivers, that from there they will be trucked slowly through Idaho, Montana, and Alberta to the Kearl oil sands project, how many jobs were created in South Korea as the result of this bad deal for Alberta, and how many jobs were lost here in this province in the construction industry?

Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, that’s why the competitiveness review is so important, to make sure that we compete with other countries. There has been a huge global economic shift. Countries are competing not only for contracts. They’re competing for investment, and they’re also competing for people. That’s why, I believe, the opposition will support this government in the Competitiveness Act, Bill 1, and get the process moving as quickly as possible.

Mr. MacDonald: Again, Mr. Speaker, it’s difficult to compete when this government is selling out the industry.

Now, given that the people of Alberta have provided generous royalty and tax concessions to Imperial Oil for the Kearl oil sands project, how does this deal between South Korea and Imperial Oil benefit the steel fabrication and construction and manufacturing industries in this province, which are suffering through such very difficult times?

Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, that’s just the issue here: why is it that other countries can compete with industries in the country of Canada and provide the necessary equipment and some of the large vessels that the oil and gas expansion in the oil sands requires? That is why we want to go through the whole regulatory process – the review, the competitiveness – to reposition Alberta to make sure that we can compete.

Alberta Hansard, March 15, 2010

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