Mr. Speaker, I have to make note of this. The words “petty politics” were brought up by the member across the way on this particular issue, and this is about anything but that. I represent the oil industry in Manitoba, as small as it may be compared to Saskatchewan and Alberta. My colleague from Kildonan—St. Paul mentioned this a while ago as well. I probably should not say that she knows something about unemployment, but I will.
It is a situation that has risen in my constituency as well. There are many people in western and southwest Manitoba and our small oil field who are suffering because they do not have jobs either. Camps were built in some of these communities and they are completely empty now. Hotels were built that are virtually empty now and struggling to make a go of it.
I have to raise this issue. This is about people's jobs. This is about my colleagues in Alberta mainly, as well as some from Saskatchewan, and I am here to support them because I believe that they are suffering terribly. My children are in Alberta and I know how desperate things are, particularly in a city like Calgary, where 30% of the office space downtown is empty. That is real. That is not about petty politics.
I would ask the member if he would like to retract any of that. He was looking for solid solutions. He talked about the money that Liberals have put into the economy in Alberta, but on January 1, they started peeling that back with the carbon tax.