Senator Doug Black (centre) wants Justin Trudeau and his cabinet ministers to see how their policies are harmful to Albertans (Canadian Press File Photo)

By Liam Verster

Trudeau invited to Grande Prairie

Black wants Trudeau to see the effect of federal policies with Alberta visit

Jan 9, 2020 | 5:00 AM

Alberta Senator Doug Black has written a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asking that he hold a cabinet meeting in Grande Prairie or Fort McMurray in early 2020.

In the letter, which was delivered to the Prime Minister on Wednesday, January 8, the Senator asks that Trudeau and his cabinet visit Alberta, where they can see first hand how the government’s policies have been affecting Albertans.

He says while many policies haven’t been favourable to Alberta, there are a few that really stand out.

“The policies that I find worst, are the piece of legislation that was passed last June, the bill was called C-69. It basically ensures that no more pipelines can be built in Canada.

“That is very devastating to our economy. It also sends out a very clear signal to investors that Canada is not open to investment. And we’ve seen that investment has simply stopped. And that’s very prejudicial to us because we need to get our, Canada’s oil and gas, to markets, and communities like Grande Prairie depend on that.”

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He adds that the inability for tankers to dock on the coast of British Columbia means further oil pipelines can’t be built, specifically from Fort McMurray to the Pacific Coast.

Black says he proposed Trudeau visit Grande Prairie because the Senator came to town to witness the Fair Deal Panel’s town hall on December 18.

“And I had an opportunity to visit with a lot of businesses, social agencies, folks, folks who live in Grande Prairie, and I was absolutely struck by the devastation, really, that the federal policies respecting energy, respecting C-69, respecting the tanker ban, that those policies are having on real people simply trying to raise their families and do what responsible Canadians do. And I was very, very upset by what I learned. And I thought ‘This is just not right.’ The Prime Minister needs, and his cabinet needs to understand that their policies are affecting people in a very harmful way, and perhaps that will give him some pause for reflection.”

Black also says a visit from the PM will make a big statement to Alberta, specifically, that the Trudeau Government is willing to listen, and that they actually care.

He says sitting down for a conversation may lead to action being taken that could help Albertans, and “stop the targeting of the province.” He says if that day comes, he wants Albertans to tell the Federal Government how these policies are hurting them.

“I want social service agencies to tell how there are no more homeless beds, how there are no more counsellors to assist with suicide calls, how there are no more counsellors to assist with abuse. That the opioid problem is completely and totally out of control, disproportionate to our population. I want people to hear this. And I want to hear from the employers, that they’re having to let people go.” He adds “I want them to meet with the Mayor. Meet with Bill, Bill Given, and understand how it’s causing him problems. The tax base is being eroded, how his ability to maintain services is being challenged. I want them to talk to the United Way, to find out why donations have plummeted.”

Black says Grande Prairie has been hurt, and while the city hasn’t been hit as badly as some other communities in the province, it’s the most recent place that he visited where he “was struck” by what the people had to say. He says it would be great if the cabinet could make a trip to communities across the province, but concedes that the Prime Minister and his cabinet are very busy, and would not be able to spend a lot of time travelling across Alberta.

The relationship between Alberta and Ottawa has become increasingly strained, and Black says he’s trying to bridge the gap and repair the relationship between the province and the confederation.

“People are so angry, are so hurt, are so disappointed, that they’ve given up hope. And my job, as an elected senator, is to try and bridge that, to make a difference so we can get beyond this, make some changes, hopefully, and move forward. That’s my role, that is my role and that is what I’m trying to do here.”

He says while it’s difficult work, and there may be a lot of anger and animosity between the people of Alberta and the Federal Government, he needs to try to be constructive, and work to rebuild the bridge that’s been broken.

The Senator goes on to say that, in order to win Alberta over, Trudeau needs to signal that he cares about Alberta, that he needs to take actions to address issues, “but at this moment in time, trust cannot be rebuilt until there is an effort made to sit down and understand why trust has been so broken.”

The letter has been delivered to the Prime Minister, and Black hopes to hear Trudeau’s response soon, and hopefully, he will take the offer under consideration. Black also says Albertans who want Trudeau to visit, should write the Prime Minister, and encourage him to visit, and see first hand and hear from the people how the policies have affected Canadian lives.