Edmonton - A Heritage Fund of $120 billion is the centrepiece of a fiscal strategy released by the Alberta Liberals today, titled Alberta’s Opportunity: Funding Alberta’s Future.The strategy provides a solution for turning Alberta’s non-renewable resources into a sustainable source of prosperity that will support world-class public services, an outstanding post-secondary education system and permanently competitive taxes.
“This plan will convert Alberta’s non-renewable oil and gas wealth into permanent prosperity,” said Alberta Liberal Leader Kevin Taft. “Right now the province is booming, but we desperately need a plan to secure our future, or the boom will go bust.” Read the rest.
The announcement included a new document outlining the plan titled "Funding Alberta's Future."
UPDATE: Here are some news stories on the Alberta Liberals plan:
Liberals want $120B Heritage Fund by 2021
Boost Heritage fund for future: Grit leader
I'm glad to see the Liberals presenting their plan for Alberta. They had the best platform in the 2004 election and will hopefully make more gains off an even greater platform in 2007.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Dinning doesn't seem to be offering anything but vague feelgood platitudes
I realize you are not old enough to remember Dave . . . but some old football player, Alta Premier did exactly that about 20 odd years ago . . . was a dismal failure . . . so now the Alta Libs (all 98 of them) have come up with the same idea . . . . sooooo Liberal!!!
ReplyDelete[liberals]+[slush fund]=[disaster]
ReplyDeleteYep, those Tories never misuse tax payers money... ever...
ReplyDeleteTories should have paid for poll
The Gazette
Published: Wednesday, September 06, 2006
As opposition leader, Stephen Harper hammered the Liberal government relentlessly on ethics and accused it of serial abuses of power. The government richly deserved the opprobrium, and not solely because of the sponsorship scandal. Liberal arrogance, unleavened by a terribly crowded agenda, had reached remarkable heights.
Harper exploited that with great skill, clobbering the government at every turn about its lack of accountability - a word that became a Tory mantra.
Unfortunately, le plus ca change.
Now comes word from Canwest News Service that Prime Minister Harper's Conservative government used $85,446 of taxpayers' money merely weeks after the Jan. 23 federal election to track Canadians' support for his party's vaunted five priorities.
Hancock proposed four additional long term endowments to be funded from non-renewable resource royalty surpluses. Targeted endowments at environment, rural development, social and humanities and innovation. As Min of Advanced Ed he got Cabinet to commit to the endowment Access to the Future Fund.
ReplyDeleteHe will likely do this if he wins the PC Leadership.
The Hertiage fund is a speicifc purpose fund and not flexible enough to work well for Taft's purposes. Besides we ought not put all our eggs in one investment basket. Investment strategies need diversity and to compete to be sure we get the best overall results and returns.
Otherwise Taft is on the right track. Sounds like he could be a Progressive Conservative too.
What kind of caucus support does Dave Hancock have?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Taft has 100% support from his caucus on this.
Sounds like Dave Hancock could be an Alberta Liberal, too. :)
ReplyDeleteKevin Taft represents a fresh start for an Alberta better than Hancock or the Tories can offer. Even if Hancock becomes PC leader, he was still part of the same bunch of Klein supporters who admittedly led Alberta for 15 years without a real plan. Hancock was still part of Klein's cabinet and caucus and was PC party president when Klein took over.
ReplyDeleteIf Albertans are really looking for a new fresh voice with new ideas, they won't be looking at the Tories.