Mr. Speaker, there is nowhere else in Canada that has been devastated as hard by the energy downturn as Alberta and my riding of Fort McMurray—Cold Lake. We have seen our population decline in record numbers, even greater than the Liberals' national energy program in the 1980s. Hotels that were once busting at the seams are now empty.
However, it is not just Fort McMurray. All of the smaller towns in my riding are reeling. They have also seen their business sales decline as high as 70%. A record number of families have left. They have lost faith in the Liberal government's commitment to get pipelines built. With an oil tanker ban on the west coast, more environmental regulations, and the undefinable term of social licence, the prospects of employment in the oil sector are at historical lows.
It is time for the Liberal government to stop playing political games and commit to building pipelines and getting Canadians back to work.