“Don’t believe the hype in Smith’s State of the Province address,” says McGowan

EDMONTON – Premier Danielle Smith’s “State of the Province” address to the business lobby in Alberta’s capital, the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, is likely to paint a picture that ignores the tough realities currently facing most working Albertans, says the president of Alberta’s largest worker advocacy organization.

“Don’t believe the hype in Smith’s State of the Province address,” says Alberta Federation of Labour President Gil McGowan. “The truth is that Alberta is falling behind in terms of wages, jobs, business investment, and economic growth. We’re also dealing with grossly over-crowded schools, a collapsing health care system and attacks on worker rights, public health, and even democracy. Much of this is the direct result of policies enacted by Smith’s own government. There’s a lot to worry about and very little to crow about.”

The REAL State of the Province:

• Alberta has the lowest minimum wage in Canada (tied with Saskatchewan), and an even lower minimum wage for students ($13/hour)
• Alberta has the lowest wage growth in the country, while the UCP government posts multi-billion dollar surpluses
• Alberta has the highest unemployment rate west of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Alberta has the second-highest car insurance prices in Canada
• Albertans have overpaid $24 billion for electricity since 2001 due to the system designed by the conservative government of Ralph Klein
• Health care wait times for surgeries are longer after 5 years of UCP government experiments
• Potential labour strife in schools, hospitals, universities and colleges because of UCP interference in the bargaining process

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Tony Clark
Director of Research, AFL
Email: tclark@afl.org