Finance committee  It's hugely important. We can take a look at where we have the differential right now between the price of West Texas Intermediate and Western Canadian Select. That's exacerbated by basically the capacity issues we have in the current pipelines. Market access is huge for us. Tha

Finance committee  [Technical difficulty—Editor] in the environment. I think the Prime Minister and the premier both agreed to that. However, when we talk about that narrative that's circulating that's hurtful, you bet it is. I'm a proud Canadian. I'm a proud Albertan. I've lived in Alberta all my

Finance committee  You know what? I think what we would need to do before I comment on that would be to review more of the details of what is proposed within that act. I haven't seen those details. Before I would comment on whether it's going to be effective or not, I'd actually have to see the doc

Finance committee  Thank you for the question. The feeling amongst our members is that the lack of confidence is based on all of those issues that you've cited, such as regulation—federal regulations. Currently, as you know, I'm sure, the Government of Alberta is looking at a red tape reduction str

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the finance committee, for having me here to present to the finance committee to inform the upcoming budget. Above all, our recommendations are for the federal budget to centre on prudence, pragmatism and issues and opportunities that affect co

Finance committee  My understanding is that 65% is returned as rebates to low-income individuals. The balance of 35% is used for new projects.

Finance committee  As a practical solution, I would commend to you Aspen Heights school in Red Deer. They have a program called “MicroSociety”. If you are interested, we could arrange a tour down to that school. It's a classic example of bringing kids in who are very vulnerable but are turning arou

Finance committee  It's because you've come to Edmonton and we have a very close allegiance with the NWT, particularly through the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce. The University of Calgary is the organization that has brought up that we should be doing a study. The Senate has suggested that the fundi

Finance committee  Certainly, there is accelerated capital cost allowance, if the finance minister were to do anything. Other than that, I'm not sure that I would be true to what we're saying by saying, “We'd really like to see this happen as well.” Certainly the royal commission is a long-term pro

Finance committee  The clear impact that most people will see is the reduction in what those fellows do. I can tell you that the impact on the communities in the province of Alberta is as dramatic. When you don't have the crews out working, you don't fill up the hotels and you don't have folks livi

Finance committee  The 1.8% number comes from a study that the Canadian Chamber of Commerce performed. I believe their submission is online on their website, so you can get that backup.

Finance committee  That's the Canadian Chamber of Commerce's study. To translate that into actual numbers, it means about 630,000 or 700,000 Canadians are without coverage either through choice or through falling through the gaps. Our point is to fill those gaps, rather than enforcing a new syste

Finance committee  Sure. I'd be glad to. Accelerated capital cost allowance certainly isn't a new idea. It was around for the oil sands back about eight or nine years ago. It was phased out there and introduced in the auto sector in the same budget. As far as tax decreases go, you're right; the

Finance committee  Mr. Julian, certainly, when we're talking about a royal commission on taxation we're talking about reviewing all portions of the Income Tax Act and the enforceability of the Income Tax Act. We're looking at things like GST, everything that's related, the personal side of income t

Finance committee  Yes.