As citizens of Alberta, we are very concerned about the economic implications of the enactment of the New Royalty Framework as recommended by the Alberta’s Royalty Review panel. In October of 2007, hundreds of fellow concerned Albertans stood at the steps of the Legislature building in Edmonton in an attempt to educate the Stelmach Government of the dire consequences such a move would have on the oil service industry and ultimately all Albertans. Unfortunately, our voices fell on deaf ears and the consequences are now costing thousands of jobs in every sector of economy from hotels to restaurants to fabricators, and dozens of other business sectors. Those who criticized the royalty increases were written off by the Alberta Federation of Labor (AFL) and the media as a bunch of business owners who had paid their employees to take a day off work to help “Big Oil”. Nothing is further from the truth. Now tens of thousands of workers are suffering including AFL union workers who have lost their construction jobs in the oilsands.
Our main goal is to show the Government "Why High Royalties Are Bad", that they are ruining the Alberta Advantage, and find a way to bring it back along with our thousands of jobs.
The other goal is to help the energy sector to improve communication on the economic benefits and public perception, which was tarnished when the Government released the report that Albertans were being shorted.
"Far from government subsidizing energy, energy is subsidizing government."
Taken from the British Columbia throne speech on Feb. 16, 2009
