KENNEY PROMISES JOB TRAINING
Program will be the largest of its kind in province's history and target Alberta workers `dislocated' from the energy sector, premier says
Premier Jason Kenney promises to roll out the largest job training program in the province's history next year and is optimistic about an economic rebound when the COVID-19 crisis is over.
Kenney said his focus in 2021 will be on health care and the COVID-19 response, but when Alberta emerges from the pandemic, his government will refocus on recovery and jobs.
The training program will be designed to address Albertans who have been “dislocated” out of the energy sector, Kenney said in a year-end interview with Postmedia. Details of the program are expected in January, but Kenney suggested there would be a lot of government “ambition” behind it.
The signal comes after a year of bad news, as the province projected a record-high deficit of $21.8 billion in November.
“It's going to cost some money, for sure. But we know that we're not going to get to a balance in this term anyway, and we're not going to cut our way out of this deficit — we need to grow our way out of it, too,” he said.
Alberta's unemployment rate was 7.7 per cent before the pandemic hit in February and spiked to 15.5 per cent in May. The latest jobs numbers from Statistics Canada from November put Alberta's unemployment at 11.1 per cent.
But after oil futures went below $0 in the spring, oil and gas prices have now begun to stabilize, and Kenney is optimistic about next year's drilling season and Alberta's ability to attract investment. The price of West Texas Intermediate hit US$49 per barrel as of Friday.
“I think we're going to see capital shift up here. But the next piece in that puzzle is to show progress on market access through pipelines,” he said.
His government announced its COVID-19 economic recovery plan in June, including $10 billion in infrastructure spending, something Kenney touted as a foundation of future policy.
“People have shown their great resilience, and I do hope that as we close the books on this terrible year, people can have a sense of some hope for 2021,” said Kenney.
Still, the province will be challenged by the public health crisis for months.
“We're still far from getting out of the woods on this.”
One day after the province recorded 30 deaths due to COVID-19 — its highest number to date — Kenney admitted there were things he would do differently, but said his government learned from some of its mistakes.
With case numbers high throughout November, Kenney has taken fire for not enacting stricter public health measures sooner and for his combativeness with critics, but he said he doesn't get distracted by the disapproval.
“I think that some of that criticism has been unfair and unjustified,” he said, pointing to Alberta's response through most of the past 10 months.
Kenney did apologize in late November for allowing big box stores to stay open as essential businesses, while forcing many small “non-essential” retail businesses to close in the spring.
But in mid-december, he said he regrets not responding earlier with lessons learned from the deadly outbreaks at meat packing plants in Alberta in the spring.
On Tuesday, the government announced expanded support for communities with high rates of COVID-19 transmission, including the expansion of self-isolation hotels, an emergency payment of $625, and on-the-ground help from community outreach groups.
“Frankly, I wish we'd done that six months ago.
“Those folks who are more vulnerable need more support and to know that we're there for them,” said Kenney.
As of Friday, the province was reporting that 526 of the 815 deaths due to COVID-19 — 65 per cent — have been in long-term care facilities or supportive living sites.
In May, Kenney said it was crucial to “build a wall of defence” around seniors and the most vulnerable.
When asked Friday how the province had failed to protect seniors, Kenney said it was a question he and his team obsess over every single day.
“We've done much better than many other jurisdictions, but I don't think we've done well enough and every one of those deaths is tragic,” he said, adding that with broader spread in the community, only strict quarantines would stop COVID-19 entering long-term care facilities through asymptomatic workers and visitors.
When asked if he has lost faith in the public taking personal responsibility amid rising case numbers, Kenney said he gave credit to many Albertans.
He again echoed how important it is for people to follow public health guidelines, including restricting gatherings to only household members, over the holidays.
“The government cannot police every interaction that people are going to have in one and a half million Alberta households over Christmas.
“It's the choices that they make — not the restrictions that the government imposes — which will determine whether Christmas becomes a super spreader moment.”