Mr. Speaker, Alberta is in the grip of a devastating jobs crisis that is disrupting lives and careers, breaking up families, and forcing people to leave. Seeing Alberta's EI numbers, and seeing the job numbers each month, is heart-wrenching.
Since the beginning of 2015, the number of unemployed Albertans has nearly doubled. There are now over 200,000 people looking for work. However, what is really sad is that there are real people behind these numbers.
Thousands of families cannot make ends meet. Kids are seeing their parents go to food banks for the first time. Skilled workers across Alberta are struggling to provide for their families and are being forced to seek opportunities for employment in other provinces and countries, taking their skills with them. Imagine what they are thinking when the Alberta minister says, let us hold hands and get through this together.
Losing these skilled workers is another hit that will further weaken our province. More than 24,000 Albertans have already left.
Since the financial crisis, Alberta has been the economic engine of Canada. Albertans have worked hard for generations, and all of Canada has benefited from our province's economic strength. The Canadian economy and the growth in prosperity we have come to expect will lag behind until Alberta is strong again. A strong Alberta means a strong Canada, and a strong Canada must include Alberta.
Without a clear and targeted plan in place by the Liberal government that specifically addresses the challenges being faced in Alberta, companies will continue to move their business elsewhere, families will continue to struggle, and skilled workers will be forced to line up for EI. Albertans deserve better.
As proud Albertans, we want to see the restoration of the province as an economic leader in Canada and a hub for job creation and ingenuity. It is with the Alberta Jobs Taskforce that we on this side of the House will work with everyday Albertans, struggling families, investors, small businesses, and companies to hear their thoughts to develop a plan that will allow the Alberta economy to grow and to restore the province as an economic leader in the country.
In the past months, our Alberta colleagues have been hosting town halls and round tables to develop a report that will outline a plan to stimulate and grow the Alberta economy and get hard-working Albertans back to work.
In our round tables and town halls, we have listened to the enterprising solutions Albertans have come up with to get our province back on its feet. In these round tables and town halls, we have heard the stories of those who have been affected by the economic crisis.
We will be sharing the stories of hard-working and resilient Albertans who have been affected by the economic downturn and reminding the Liberal government, and those outside of Alberta, that behind these numbers are real families having to make tough decisions on whether to put food on the table or pay the mortgage to keep a roof over their family's head.
Our work will report with real policy solutions. We are ready to roll up our sleeves and help out Alberta.
Why is the Liberal government continuing with things like a carbon tax, continuing with the CPP increases on small business, and continuing to turn a blind eye to Alberta?