Alberta energy minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd has already been the recipient of some scorn and negative comments after a remark that she made concerning skilled workers moving to B.C. until the local economy picks up. Soon after her comment went public McCuaig-Boyd apologized and said that she misspoke. The comment in question came when the energy minister for Alberta spoke to a Canadian Association of Petroleum Land Administration. Marg made the suggestion that in her local area of northwestern Alberta skilled workers often moved to British Columbia for employment when the Alberta economy was slow, and when energy prices went back up these workers would move back home to Alberta. Later in the evening on Thursday the Alberta energy minister provided a statement to CFFR, a local radio station, explaining that her comment was not based on the official jobs position of herself or the government.

When discussing her comment on skilled workers and the economy Alberta energy minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd stated “It’s a tough time for everybody, not just oil and gas, there’s lot of jobs being lost in the services sector … this oil price is hurting a lot of Albertans, so you just have to hunker down and get through it. We are increasing investment in infrastructure, supporting trade development, and improving access to capital for small- and medium-sized businesses. By taking real action on climate change, we can change the conversation on pipelines and finally get access to new markets.” Marg also told the individuals at the Canadian Association of Petroleum Land Administration meeting that those who have lost jobs because of the energy price downturn will hopefully upgrade their training and skills as well as taking advantage of opportunities for apprenticeship programs.