Alberta Premier Jason Kenney answers questions during a news conference as premiers meet on the final day of the Summer Meeting of Canadian Prime Ministers at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, BC, Tuesday, July 12, 2022 THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Ippolito Premier Jason Kenney launched a campaign to attract skilled workers from Toronto and Vancouver as he renewed his criticism of a so-called Alberta sovereignty act proposed by one of the candidates vying to replace him. Kenney held a press conference Monday to announce the United Conservative government’s new program — dubbed “Alberta is Calling” — to hire skilled workers with a marketing campaign touting the province’s lower taxes, affordability of homes, shorter commutes and proximity to the Rocky Mountains. The $2.6 million effort is to include ads on social media, radio and posters in high-traffic areas. “What did the Albertan say to the Vancouverite? You’re hired,” reads one of the reports. “It’s mountain time somewhere,” reads one addressed to the Greater Toronto Area. “Alberta has come back in a big way, but one of the biggest challenges to sustaining this amazing growth is having enough people to fill the jobs that are being created,” Kenney said. “As far as problems go, it’s a very good thing to have.” The campaign launch comes after Kenney said on his weekend radio show that a key platform promise by one of the candidates to succeed him as leader and prime minister was “crazy”. Candidate Danielle Smith said if she wins the leadership, she will introduce a bill this fall to give Alberta the power to ignore federal laws and court rulings deemed not in the province’s best interests. Legal scholars say such a bill would be illegal, unenforceable and a dangerous rejection of respect for the rule of law. “A government or legislature that continued this de facto plan for secession would end the tremendous economic momentum in this province,” Kenney said. Kenney said he is confident that even if the legislature passed the law, the lieutenant governor would refuse to give it royal assent and Alberta would be made “ridiculous.” Smith blasted Kenney in a statement Sunday for “meddling” in the leadership contest, saying his comments were “ill-informed and disrespectful to a large and growing majority of UCP members who support this important initiative.” Kenney said Monday that he is not interfering in the leadership campaign, but simply restating his position on an important public policy issue. “This government was elected with a commitment to create jobs, grow the economy and build pipelines,” he said. “This so-called act of sovereignty would be a body blow to all three of these things. Kenney said the proposed act goes against what the provincial government was elected to do by driving away investment and forcing people to leave, as well as hurting the campaign to bring people to Alberta. “Here we are starting a campaign for Canadians to move to another part of Canada,” he said. “If Alberta effectively decided to launch a separatist plan, I think that would automatically exclude a lot of Canadians. “Instead, instead of being able to attract people, we would start to bleed.” He said this is not theoretical because of what happened in Quebec in 1976 when René Lévesque and the Parti Québécois were elected on a separatist platform. “Quebec overnight started hemorrhaging people, money and investment,” Kenney said. Kenney also had a message for Albertans worried about a plan to attract more workers — most Albertans have come from other parts of Canada or the world, and the new workers would benefit the province. Kenney said he understands some may feel outraged. “I think we are welcome, but sometimes I hear this complaint: ‘I can’t find a job. Why are you giving away our jobs?”I’ll tell you, there are a lot of jobs available in Alberta right now.”
Hello #YYZ and #YVR… Alberta is calling. Will you answer? pic.twitter.com/DmtogKz7Fh — Jason Kenney ?? (@jkenney) August 15, 2022
