Premier welcomes year of the dog as harbinger of economic upswing
‘This year in Alberta is going to be a year of opportunities,’ Notley tells revellers
The Chinese Zodiac year of the dog is predicted to bring good financial fortune, something Premier Rachel Notley said is on the horizon for Albertans while speaking at a Lunar New Year event in Edmonton.
“This year in Alberta is going to be a year of opportunities, it’s going to be a year of hope and optimism and it’s going to be a year for standing up and defending working people in this province,” said Notley from the podium at the Edmonton Chinatown MultiCultural Centre Lunar New Year Extravaganza at West Edmonton Mall Saturday.
“The economic recovery is underway,” she continued. “We lead the country now in economic growth. Good jobs are being created for people.”
Before handing out lucky red envelopes, Notley delivered some tough talk aimed at the government of British Columbia, which has proposed restricting increases in bitumen shipped from Alberta after Premier John Horgan vowed to do everything in his government’s power to block Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project.
“Despite what the folks of the government of B.C. might think, we are closer than ever to getting a new Canadian pipeline built to the Canadian coast,” said Notley. “With that, we are closer than ever to diversifying our energy markets to the Asia-Pacific and we are closer than ever to creating even more jobs in our energy industry and for hard-working Albertans who are looking for relief from the recession.”
After traditional lion dances and martial arts performances, Notley took to the stage to reflect on the relationship between Alberta and the People’s Republic of China.
“This close relationship has benefited both of our economies with a great wealth of trade and investment opportunities.
Today, China is Alberta’s secondlargest trading partner, trade surpassing $6 billion per year,” said Notley.
For three decades the province has had a protocol of understanding and friendship with the Chinese province of Heilongjiang and just last year, during a trade mission to Asia, Notley signed another sister province relationship agreement with the province of Guangdong.
Hoping to further strengthen relations between Canada and China, 2018 was named the Canada-China Year of Tourism.
Lunar New Year, sometimes called Chinese New Year, is celebrated in many Asian countries and cultures.
This year, Lunar New Year falls on Feb. 16.
“Of all the traditional festivals, Chinese New Year is one of the most important,” said Raymond Ng, chairman of the Edmonton Chinese Multicultural Centre.