A recent roundtable held in Cochrane to discuss what people in the constituency think about the Liberal government’s economic policies drew a mix of anger and uncertainty.
Around 20 people took their seat for the afternoon economic roundtable held at the Cochrane Legion Sept. 7 held by Conservative Banff-Airdrie MP Blake Richards.
The event, hosted by the Cochrane and District Chamber of Commerce, was one of three discussions held by Richards to help pinpoint the highlighted concerns across the constituency.
“We have a government in place right now that I’m not sure consults enough with the public,” said chamber president, Bill Popplewell.
“It’s really important to have an opposition party … we have a lot of businesses in Cochrane that need government support right now.”
Business owners and individuals in attendance responded to a number of concerns brought up by Richards including Alberta’s highest unemployment rate since 1994 (8.6 per cent); struggles faced by businesses with pending CPP tax hikes (higher premiums to begin in 2019); a rise in investor uncertainty in Alberta’s economy with respect to the oil and gas sector declines and the need for self-sufficiency; the rising $30 billion deficit (which Richards cites as triple of what the Liberals’ campaigned on); and a planned federal carbon tax.
Concerns over the effects of the upcoming American presidential election and Canada’s poor performance on the international trade stage were also addressed.
“We need to make Alberta economically desirable for investors,” said Popplewell.
Attendees criticized both the current Liberal government for a perceived abandonment of Alberta and the Conservatives for a failure to win votes by not pulling on heartstrings, as even some of Trudeau’s greatest critics have admitted.
Referring to Trudeau as simply “way too pretty,” one woman said the Conservatives need to rebrand and “put on their rainbow socks” because optics are everything.
Several criticized the finger pointing in the House of Commons, noting that the Conservatives will undoubtedly lose the next election if they don’t start “beating the Liberals at their own game.”
“Conservatives have to rally that emotion,” said Richard Foy, commenting on the need to call out the environment lobby in the U.S. seeking to shut down the Canadian oil and sector and the “tax disease” suffered by Canadians.
Another man referred to the economic problem as “creeping socialism,” contributing to the “lack of apathy” experienced by voters.
Several questioned where the increased government spending could be attributed, to which Richards answered was largely public service jobs and government programs.
“In July alone, 31,200 Canadians lost their jobs and the national unemployment rate spike to 6.9 per cent … investor confidence is rapidly declining and our ability to get our oil and gas resources to new markets is caught up in more red tape as the Liberal government waffles in its attempts to change the National Energy Board pipeline review process,” revealed Richards in his latest report.
Richards is encouraging members of his constituency to get in touch with him at www.blakerichards.ca/have-you-say.
