Alberta’s NDP wants Smith to assess Sovereignty Act’s economic impact

The Alberta NDP says Danielle Smith has to assess the Sovereignty Act’s impact on the economy.

The opposition party says in a statement this comes after Statistics Canada released a report showing Alberta lost 15,000 jobs in November, increasing the unemployment rate to 0.6 per cent.

In addition, the NDP says the Sovereignty Act is creating uncertainty among businesses, as it could potentially discourage investments and attract skilled workers.

Meanwhile, according to the NDP, Smith has dismissed the economic uncertainty of the act.

“If she is going to dispute the claims of the businesses and entrepreneurs that have built our economy, she needs to back it up,” said NDP energy critic Kathleen Ganley.

“If they haven’t conducted an economic assessment, the UCP needs to explain to Albertans why they ignored the business community and failed to consider the impacts this will have on our economy at a time when Alberta has one of the slowest recoveries in the country.”

The NDP also pointed out wage growth in the province is the slowest in the country.

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“The Sovereignty Act will continue to make things worse. It will stall our economic recovery, destroy investor confidence, and kill jobs at a time when Albertans are in the midst of an affordability crisis. The last thing we need is more chaos and instability,” said Ganley.

“We need stability and investor certainty to attract investment, build a more resilient economy, and create good-paying jobs, now, and for future generations.”

CityNews has reached out to the Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Northern Development for comments, and received the following statement:

“We always expect adjustments in the month-to-month employment statistics. It has been over a year since Alberta has seen a decrease in jobs,” the statement read. “While November’s numbers show a modest increase in unemployment, our employment rate remains the highest in Canada.”

“While we make up just 12 per cent of the country’s population, we’re responsible for almost a quarter of all jobs created in Canada this year. Over the past year, we have experienced strong gains, particularly in the private sector, which has seen growth in manufacturing, technology, forestry, and oil and gas.”