Tag: Jim Prentice

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Alberta Canada Politics

Jim Prentice Drops Writ to Start Alberta Election Campaign

Alberta election, Jim Prentice

Jim Prentice has started the Alberta election process in motion, putting an end to all the speculation that has been going on over the last few weeks. This means that voters will be asked to go to the polls on Tuesday, May 5. During the launch of the Progressive Conservative campaign Prentice said “So Albertans have the opportunity to make a choice. A realistic, honest plan or, frankly, betting the future on some extreme ideas and ideologies. We understand that no one wants to pay more for liquor or for cigarettes or for that matter, a speeding ticket, but we’ve made the realistic choices. We’ve tackled the issues without creating a shock to our system, to our economy and to our province. This is a turning point and Albertans deserve to choose.”

During his speech about the Alberta election Jim Prentice told listeners that he has been disappointed in the PC government over the last few years, and that the party had lost its way and was not taking a stand for common sense values. Prentice also told the media that Alberta residents deserve to have all of the straight facts even if the news being delivered is bad. Jim Prentice also took the opportunity get in a dig at the opposition who support an increase in corporate taxes on businesses in Alberta, saying that it will kill jobs and cause even more slowdown in the economy. The budget set for the Alberta election is $28 million. The last election in 2012 cost almost $14 million.

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Alberta Canada Economic Politics

Televised Address by Jim Prentice to Cost $80,000

televised address, Jim Prentice

Jim Prentice, the Alberta Premier, will hold a televised address to reach out to Albertans, but some critics contend that the address is an $80,000 Progressive Conservative government pre-election commercial instead. The televised address is expected to last 24 minutes and it will be broadcast on March 24 before the presentation of the provincial budget on March 26. Prentice held a news conference and confirmed that the cost of the televised address was actually $80,000, but pointed out that this was less than half the cost the last time a premier address Albertans. Prentice said “I will be making a televised presentation to the citizens of Alberta about the financial circumstances that we face as a province, you know, the economic climate that we’re in, the consequences for the fiscal position of the government of Alberta, both in terms of the current budget and, on a go-forward basis, future budgets. I’ll let the message speak for itself, but those are the circumstances, broadly speaking, that I will be dealing with.”

When discussing criticism of the televised address Jim Prentice denied that there was any effort to campaign with the spot. Prentice stated “This is not campaigning. This is speaking to Albertans about the most serious fiscal circumstances we have faced as a province in a generation and the economic circumstances that we are in, which we will get through. We’re tough, we’re resilient, we will manage this, but Albertans need to hear from their premier, in terms of what is happening, in terms of how we are going to respond and in terms of fiscally, how we intend to deal with it.” The Wildrose opposition was offered the opportunity to make an address as well but this offer was turned down.

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Economic Ft Mac Politics

Is Jim Prentice Elitist? Brian Jean Says Yes!

Brian Jean, Jim Prentice

According to Brian Jean, who is the Wildrose leadership candidate, Jim Prentice is an elitist based on some of his recent comments. An interview last Wednesday with CBC radio Prentice commented that “In terms of who is responsible, we all need only look in the mirror, right. Basically all of us have had the best of everything and have not had to pay for what it costs. Collectively we got into this as Albertans and collectively we’re going to get out of it and everybody is going to have to shoulder some share of the responsibility.” This statement did not go well with Brian Jean, who responded “To suggest we as Albertans are at fault? My goodness gracious, give your head a shake. You are to blame and the people standing behind and beside you are to blame. It is his PC party and his PC party alone created this mess. Bluntly speaking, they cannot be trusted. To say something so insulting as that, I say if he looks what’s in the mirror, he will see who is to blame.”

Brian Jean is not the only one who took offense at the comments that Jim Prentice made during the radio interview. According to Heather Forsyth, the Wildrose interim leader, “At a time many Albertans are worried about the value of their home plummeting, keeping their job or being able to make ends meet, Mr. Prentice’s comments blaming Albertans for being directly at fault for the PC government’s gross fiscal mismanagement shows how deeply out-of-touch this 44-year-old government has become.” Rachel Notley, the NDP leader, also spoke out against the comments and demanded an apology by stating “Perhaps we should be asking what Mr. Prentice would see if he looked in the mirror. He would see the leader of a tired 44-year-old government that has squandered our resource wealth. He would see a leader who is telling Albertans they will pay more to get less, while giving their money away in tax breaks to big banks, large corporations and high-income Albertans.”