FINANCE MINISTER ROBIN CAMPBELL ADMITS THAT THE ALBERTA PCs SPENT LIKE DRUNKEN SAILORS! The following article was sent out by Stuart Taylor, a member of Hintons town council who in the last provincial election ran as a Wildrose candidate. Regardless of what party a person supports or belongs to, the insights are certainly astute. ACCOUNTABILITY REQUIRES A CONSEQUENCE In early January, the Conference Board of Canada stated that due to falling commodity prices Alberta is facing far more than an economic dip or slowdown. This prestigious and highly respected research group says Alberta is very likely going to experience a shrinking economy. “It’s going to be very hard for Alberta to avoid a recession this year,” said the group’s chief economist. Everywhere energy companies are slashing budgets. Suncor chopped $1 billion out of its spending plans and is laying off 1,000 employees. Three Calgary-based energy companies have indicated that between them they too have cut roughly $1 billion out of their spending plans. This same thing is happening right across the province. Recognizing that the price of crude could fall below $40, Canadian banks have publicly stated that they’ve assessed their portfolios to determine how much damage they may have to absorb. In addition, the provincial government is going to be dramatically affected, especially during the fiscal year that begins this spring. Now, wanting to use this unfolding crisis as a basis for staying in power, government MLAs including West Yellowhead ’s Robin Campbell are fanning out across the province touring their constituencies in anticipation of a spring election. They claim they need a mandate to tackle the oil crisis. As they present themselves, it’s important to remind ourselves (and them) of the obligations associated with accountability. Every government MLA including Robin Campbell has known for a good number of years that oil prices were at or near historic highs. Yet during this entire period, Campbell and his colleagues ran year after year deficits. They wiped out billions in savings. At the same time, they knowingly and deliberately kept right on committing themselves to ever higher spending. In numerous West Yellowhead communities Mr. Campbell has committed to provide a new school, an upgraded hospital, more seniors’ housing, a new court house, or funding for other such projects. Recently in one of the Jasper newspapers (FitzHugh), Campbell himself was quoted as saying “when times are good we spend it like drunken sailors.” The fact is that despite what Campbell says ordinary Albertans weren’t spending tax dollars like drunken sailors. Most of us were paying down our mortgages, living within our means and even saving for a rainy day. It was the PC government that was imitating drunk sailors. For Campbell and his MLA colleagues to now suggest that because of falling oil prices they are no longer responsible for what they said or committed themselves to do in the past, is to misunderstand or ignore the obligations they have to be accountable for their words. Accountability always requires that a person accept both responsibility and consequence for their statements, actions, and deeds. Campbell is no exception. Everyone knows oil prices are cyclical. And we all know it isn’t smart or wise to make major financial decisions when a commodity price is at the top of the price cycle. When Campbell and his fellow PC MLAs kept committing themselves to billions in new spending despite the fact that energy prices were at the peak of the cycle, they weren’t living in a vacuum without access to market information and newscasts. They knew exactly what they were doing. The Conference Board of Canada says Alberta is heading into a recession and a budgetary crisis. Yet thanks to Robin Campbell and his colleagues, Alberta s financial cupboard is bare. https://facebook/stuart.taylor.3110?fref=ts Stuart TaylorTown Councillor at Hinton AB Like Comment Write a comment... Post
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 23:50:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015