Firstly, I would like to thank you for giving me the honour to continue to serve as your Member of Parliament. I hope you celebrated the Christmas season in good health with family and friends and I wish you a very Happy New Year.
Reflecting on the last year, we experienced significant change. We witnessed the election of new governments, in Alberta and federally, and we experienced and continue to feel the impacts of falling oil prices.
Our oil and gas sector has long served as Canada's economic engine. However, persistent price declines have contributed to massive layoffs, close to 40,000 jobs lost directly in the industry and upwards of 100,000 jobs overall. In addition to low prices, the industry faces uncertain policies at the provincial and national levels. This includes a 20 percent hike in provincial corporate taxes, a carbon tax and for Canada’s oil sands a new cap on carbon emissions. Federally, there is uncertainty surrounding regulatory processes posing an added obstacle for critical market access.
While these challenges will persist in 2016, I believe there are also important opportunities for us to leverage as a community and a country.
As the Official Opposition, you can count on the Conservative Party of Canada to press the government for a plan for job creation in the private sector, to support our oil and gas industry and to reinforce its significance as a national economic driver. We will fight vigorously for taxpayers and, while preferring the budget remain balanced, demand that the Trudeau government at least honour its election promise to keep annual deficits to at most $10 billion. We will continue to call on the government to remain resolute in support of our allies in the fight against ISIS. We will be unrelenting on these issues and others in order to do our job as the Official Opposition.
As Official Opposition Critic for Tourism, I look forward to building on my work with all parties to support Canada's tourism sector. By building relationships based on mutual respect, I will focus on results for Canadians and particularly for the tourism partners across our riding.
Equally important, I will never forget where home is. I will work hard to ensure that my time in Ottawa, discussions in parliamentary committees and decision-making, reflects your views and the best interests of our communities.
I will remain connected to local issues so that I may continue to serve as an effective advocate for positive change for our communities in Banff-Airdrie in 2016 and throughout the 42nd Parliament of Canada.
