Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says his government will do whatever it takes to rescue the province from an oil price collapse and he wants the federal government to step up as well.
“This is not just about Alberta. As Alberta goes, so goes the national economy,” Kenney said in Calgary on Monday, after markets closed with cratering oil prices threatening to drain billions of dollars from the province’s bottom line.
“Albertans, even in our times of economic trial, have been contributing $20 billion net to the rest of the federation through our federal taxes. Our ability to continue doing so is now at risk,” he said.
“Albertans have been good to the rest of Canada. It’s time to see the rest of Canada return the favour.”
Kenney is to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday at the first ministers meeting in Ottawa.
He said he’ll be asking for a range of relief measures, including financial incentives to help create jobs in reclaiming orphan wells, changes to payroll taxes and removal of a cap on fiscal stabilization transfers that would return about $2.6 billion to Alberta.
