The prime minister鈥檚 plan to help out struggling Alberta includes a $250-million payment from the federal stabilization fund, speeding up $700-million of infrastructure spending promised under the Conservatives and a possible boost to employment insurance benefits.
鈥淎lbertans have contributed tremendously to Canada鈥檚 growth, particularly over the past 10 years,鈥� Justin Trudeau said after meeting with Alberta Premier Rachel Notley Wednesday in Edmonton.
鈥淣ow Alberta and Albertans are facing challenging times and, quite frankly, Canadians help other Canadians when they鈥檙e facing tough times,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 exactly what we鈥檙e going to do.鈥�
Premier Notley told reporters the prime minister had vowed to fast-track roughly $700-million of infrastructure spending that was committed in the 2015 budget but not yet spent, saying 鈥渨e're able to confirm that the federal government will start pushing it out the door as soon as we're ready to go,鈥� adding that it will take only months, or possibly weeks.
Notley said she also raised the issue of employment insurance.
Federal rules base EI eligibility on historical unemployment rates, putting Alberta at a disadvantage at a time when the number of Albertans claiming assistance has more than doubled.
Currently, an Edmonton worker must work 665 hours to qualify for EI and may receive up to 38 weeks of benefits, while a worker in high-unemployment regions in Atlantic Canada needs to work only 420 hours and can qualify for up to 45 weeks of benefits.
Notley said she wants 鈥淎lbertans to enjoy same access to benefits鈥� and that she is 鈥渉opeful the prime minister will respond.鈥�
Trudeau said that the EI issues are 鈥渃ertainly something we are aware of,鈥� adding that he had assured Notley 鈥渨e are looking at this and working to move forward on it as rapidly as possible.鈥�
Trudeau would not say whether he supports the Energy East or Trans Mountain pipeline projects that many believe would boost Alberta鈥檚 economy.
Although he said it is the responsibility of prime ministers to get goods to markets, he also said the country needs a 鈥渞eferee鈥� on pipelines rather than a cheerleader, adding 鈥渃heerleaders don鈥檛 score goals.鈥�
The federal Conservatives said Wednesday that Trudeau could signal his support for Alberta鈥檚 struggling resources sector by coming out in favour of the Energy East pipeline proposal.
鈥淲ho supports Energy East?鈥� said interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose during question period. 鈥淭he Liberal premier in New Brunswick, the conservative Premier in Saskatchewan, the Liberal Premier in Ontario and the NDP premier in Alberta.鈥�
鈥淲hy this all-party support?鈥� she added. 鈥淏ecause this is about jobs for people who are suffering.鈥�
Finance Minister Bill Morneau responded that he 鈥渞ecognizes the enormous challenges for the people of Alberta,鈥� adding that he believes a $250-million application by Alberta to a federal stabilization fund is 鈥渁n important first step鈥� and that the government will 鈥渂e taking other actions in Budget 2016.鈥�
Morneau also said the Liberals 鈥渉ave said repeatedly that we realize we need to help those organizations that are producing oil to get it to tide-water,鈥� but that they also need 鈥渟ocial licence.鈥�
Support for Energy East, which won鈥檛 be approved or rejected until at least 2018, is unlikely to help Alberta avoid job losses in the near-term.
Energy East would carry crude oil from Alberta to New Brunswick using an upgraded pipeline to Montreal and a new section of pipeline between Montreal and a refinery in Saint John, N.B.
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, meanwhile, criticized Trudeau for previous comments where he told Albertans 鈥渢o hang in there,鈥� adding that the Liberals could help laid off workers immediately by 鈥済etting rid of Conservative restrictions on employment insurance benefits.鈥�
Mulcair told CTV鈥檚 Power Play that speeding up federal spending on infrastructure is also 鈥渁 good way to get jobs created rapidly,鈥� but that he鈥檚 not sure, 鈥渢he money is actually there.鈥�
Mulcair said he predicts the Liberals鈥� budget deficit will be 鈥渟everal times鈥� the $10 billion they proposed during the election.
Statistics Canada revealed last week that Alberta lost more jobs last year than in any year since 1982 and that the unemployment rate had risen to 7.0 per cent from 4.8 per cent a year earlier.
Across the country, an estimated 100,000 jobs were lost in the battered energy sector last year, according to the Association of Petroleum Producers.
With files from The Canadian Press
