Justin Trudeau’s Liberals reaching out in Alberta

Posted on August 26, 2014 by 40 Mile Commentator

Dear editor,

Under Justin Trudeau’s vigorous leadership, the Liberal Party of Canada is committed to ensuring that western voices are heard in Parliament. For far too many times under this Conservative government, all Canadians have received is the voice of the Prime Minister in their communities.

To shift the conversation, Members of Parliament from the Liberal Party of Canada came to Edmonton for our summer caucus meeting. We then fanned out to 45 ridings across the western provinces and held more than a hundred different meetings with community and business leaders.

In Alberta, MPs Scott Brison, Marc Garneau, Chrystia Freeland, Emmanuel Dubourg, Ted Hsu, Massimo Pacetti and Geoff Regan met with a broad range of stakeholders.

Many of these conversations centred around the critical question of how we can develop our energy resources sustainably, while protecting the environment and ensuring that major projects have the social licence that gives investors the confidence to proceed with multi-billion dollar deals.

To answer that challenge, you can’t stay in Ottawa. That’s why we spoke with business leaders like Enbridge, TransCanada, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association. We spoke with experts like the Pembina Institute, the Alberta Energy Regulator and the University of Calgary’s Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy. We also spoke with labour leaders, like Pipefitters Local 488 and the International Union of Operating Engineers.

In addition, we met with groups like La Cité francophone and Alliance Jeunesse-Famille de l’Alberta Society to learn about how we can strengthen the culture of Alberta’s minority francophone population.

We will use feedback from these conversations as we build the plan and the team to reflect the priorities of Canadians.  From trade and infrastructure, to transparency and Senate reform, Liberals have been working hard to offer Canadians a better government and not just a different one.

We believe that government must not only create the right conditions for economic growth, but also ensure that growth is sustainable and will finally help struggling middle class families succeed.  Engaging with local leaders and stakeholders is a key step as we continue building a plan that will offer a real and fair chance to Canadian families.

Yours sincerely,

Ralph Goodale, MP

Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada