EDMONTON — Alberta's oilsands need to be "cleaned up" and development must be both environmentally and socially sustainable, federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says.First of all the oilsands are just as clean as the coal fired power plants in Ontario and Hydro in Quebec.
Government must create incentives that will encourage industry to do less damage to the environment while extracting oil in northern Alberta, he said Thursday in Edmonton.
"Our position is very clear: The oilsands have got to be cleaned up ... They've got to be environmentally sustainable and they've also got to be socially sustainable; that is, they've got to be good for aboriginal communities, they've got to be good for the workers," he said
Second leave the industry alone to clean up, they don't need government. They'll do it on their own.
Then this about the deficit and corporate tax cuts.
He told the crowd the federal Conservatives have dug the country into a $56-billion financial hole and now Prime Minister Stephen Harper wants to hand out $6 billion in corporate tax cuts to address the problem.
"All Stephen Harper can offer is a corporate tax cut on your dime. We're borrowing to do that," he said. "Then a 2011 budget ... which will involve savage cuts to the services on which Canadians depend. It's just not good enough."
He said the corporate tax cuts should be suspended until the country gets its financial house in order.Mr. Ziffy give your head a shake. Uh, yeah, it's because Mr. Ziffy and the coalition of the losers pressuring Harper to come up with a stimulus plan we have that big deficit plus it wasn't enough. They were hounding for more spending. Had the government caved, or had the coalition of the losers were allowed to take over, we'd have a much larger deficit. We could very well be not much better off than Greece.
He believes that post-secondary education should be open to all students who have the grades to get in.I agree a good education is a must these days but how is he going to pay for it? How about students working a part time and get summer jobs to pay for their post secondary education?
Then he goes fishing to poach votes back from the CPC in the immigrant communities.
It was his fourth official visit to Edmonton. He also visited with leaders of the city's Chinese and Muslim communities.New Canadians have seen with the leadership of PM Harper and Minister Jason Kenney. They have discovered they have more in common with the Conservatives than the Liberals. Most have c-conservative leanings. Liberals had taken advantage of them and have taken them for granted for too many years. Don't think Libs are going to woo them back in the near future.
It looks to me Mr. Ziffy is still out of touch, doesn't know what he's saying, and I think seems to be pandering to the left wing of his party. We have a lefty MP from Edmonton,NDP Linda Duncan only because Jaffer so neglected that constituency. Next time we'll get it back.
Don't think he's going to make in roads in Edmonton or any part of Alberta for that matter. He might as well write Alberta off. He's just not resonating anywhere in Canada either expect maybe, Toronto.