Let’s blame the NDP

That’s the motto for the Conservatives in Alberta. Time and again we hear their would-be leaders as well as many of the rank and file blame the NDP for everything that is wrong in our province. So, let’s just look at a couple of these things.

The Conservatives blame the NDP for all the job losses and the downturn in our economy.  The reality is that we never fully recovered from the 2008 banking fiasco. Then the world price of oil started dropping during the PC reign and stabilized (nothing to do with the NDP) once the NDP got elected.

Here is some more reality. I have been working in the oil patch for the last 25 years, the last seven or eight in the Fort Mac area. Starting in about the middle of 2014 as the price of oil started dropping, the oil companies started cancelling their expansion projects. In June of 2014 oil was at around $105/bbl and by the election in 2015, it had dropped below $50/bbl. This is under the reign of the Conservatives, both provincially and federally.  Devon Energy was going to build Pike (100,000 bbls/d), Jackfish 3 and 4 (35,000 bbls/d each) as well as some smaller Walleye projects, all cancelled. Cenovus cancelled its expansion at Chystina Lake. CNRL was going to build 10 x 35,000 bbls/d plants in 20 years. Kirby South was completed and cancelled the rest. Interesting to note is that Chystina Lake is now a go, Devon is supposedly doing a new plant, and CNRL is talking about Kirby North. So, any talk that the NDP is the cause is just plain BS told to you for political gain. And, by the way, the oil patch is hopping locally especially around Fox Creek. Should we blame the NDP for that, too?

The second situation is the 1000s to 10,000s of job losses in the forestry industry which is a result of the shutting down of forestry operations (although, apparently, not oil and gas exploration) to protect caribou habitat. It’s the damn NDP again! But, wait a minute, here’s a quote: “Ray Hilts, member of the Alberta Forest Alliance has stated they’ve received restriction letters for the timber harvesting since 2012.” And, guess who was in power in 2012? How can this be? It was the PCs! Not only that but this was a federal initiative in the first place and the PCs were in power in Ottawa as well. Damn the NDP! How were they able to do this when the Conservatives held majority power in both Edmonton and Ottawa?

So, before you even listen to any more of the PC BS, you might want to do a little research on your own. For years, decades in Alberta, PC propaganda has been feeding you a bunch of BS. And, it has worked so well, you can expect it to continue. I’m not saying it is all a pack of lies, just that most of it is and will continue to be.

When one who is honestly mistaken learns the truth, he or she either stops being mistaken or stops being honest. Which do you choose?

Eugene Eklund

Whitecourt, AB