Close X
    Saturday, September 21, 2024
    ADVT 
    National

    Damage Control Needed On Alberta Opposition Leader Jason Kenney's India Trip: Trade Minister

    Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 19 Sep, 2018 12:28 PM
      EDMONTON — The Alberta government says it will be doing "damage control" after Opposition leader Jason Kenney's visit to India.
       
       
      Trade Minister Deron Bilous says there appears to be confusion in India over who Kenney is speaking for and questions over what he is saying as he meets this week with business and political leaders.
       
       
      "There's already been confusion," Bilous said Tuesday, citing a social media post from an Indian government cabinet minister who referred to Kenney as a minister of the Crown. "We don't know exactly what he is saying, how he is portraying himself."
       
       
      Bilous said Kenney doesn't speak on behalf of the government of Alberta or the government of Canada.
       
       
      "What we don't know is if he is clarifying where there are misunderstandings ... but we're not about to let this visit of Mr. Kenney's potentially damage the government of Alberta's relationship with India."
       
       
      Bilous said they will do follow-up work to deal with any confusion.
       
       
      "We've directed our Alberta trade office to do damage control, correcting the record wherever we can," he said.
       
       
      "They'll be doing follow-up conversations with all of the Indian officials that Mr. Kenney meets with."
       
       
      Kenney and two caucus members are using their own money and United Conservative Party funds for the trip to promote Alberta's oil industry and express concerns about Indian tariffs on peas and lentils.
       
       
      Nitin Gadkari, the minister responsible for roads and other resources, tweeted out this week, "Met Mr. Jason Kenney, Hon'ble Minister, Alberta, Canada. We discussed about exploring areas of mutual co-operation in infrastructure sector."
       
      Kenney has also given multiple interviews with media in that country making statements that appear to conflict with ones made earlier in Alberta.
       
       
      Speaking to CNN-News18, he urged Indians to invest, saying, "Canada, amongst the developed countries — Alberta in particular — have low taxes. We have one of the best educated workforces, efficient power prices. We have a lot of strategic advantages for that kind of investment."
       
       
      Kenney's UCP has, in fact, been sharply critical of Premier Rachel Notley's power pricing system and its tax regime.
       
       
      Two months ago, Kenney said the current Alberta tax program was not luring investment but in fact undermining it, and that if his party forms government, he will axe the existing carbon tax and then look at further tax reductions.
       
       
      "I want to cut other taxes to help bring back investment and get people working again," Kenney said in a PostMedia interview published July 12.
       
       
      Bilous said he hopes Albertans are scratching their heads.
       
       
      "Mr. Kenney is saying one thing to Albertans and another to an international audience," he said.
       
       
      "This is where it is critical that our Alberta office in India will be following up with all the officials that Mr. Kenney meets with."
       
       
      UCP spokeswoman Christine Myatt said Kenney connected with Bilous prior to the trip and is working to build a positive "Team Alberta" approach.
       
       
      "It is disappointing to hear the minister suggest that Mr. Kenney’s visit to India has or will in any way hurt Alberta," Myatt said in a statement.
       
       
      "Mr. Kenney is more than happy to forward Alberta and Canada's interests while in India, utilizing his high-level international connections.
       
       
      "It's quite clear that this latest NDP smear job is a desperate attempt to distract from its disastrous record.”
       
       
      Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier has led two trade missions to India over the last two years on behalf of the province.
      Prev Next

      MORE National ARTICLES

      Trial For British Sailors Accused Of Sexual Assault Begins Tuesday In Halifax

      Trial For British Sailors Accused Of Sexual Assault Begins Tuesday In Halifax
      HALIFAX — The trial of two British sailors accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a Nova Scotia military base begins Tuesday.

      Trial For British Sailors Accused Of Sexual Assault Begins Tuesday In Halifax

      Toddler Dead, 8 In Hospital After Newfoundland Car Crash, Police Say

      Toddler Dead, 8 In Hospital After Newfoundland Car Crash, Police Say
      Police in Newfoundland say a toddler has died and eight people were injured after a three-vehicle collision on Sunday afternoon.

      Toddler Dead, 8 In Hospital After Newfoundland Car Crash, Police Say

      B.C. Students Learning For 'Real Life' But Teachers Say Reality Needs Funding

      B.C. Students Learning For 'Real Life' But Teachers Say Reality Needs Funding
      VANCOUVER — Waking up for school won't be the only reality facing British Columbia students entering their senior high school years as ongoing curriculum changes aimed at connecting them to real-life decision making are further implemented.

      B.C. Students Learning For 'Real Life' But Teachers Say Reality Needs Funding

      Donald Trump Threatens To Pull US Out Of WTO

      President Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw the US from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) if the body fails to change the way it treats America.

      Donald Trump Threatens To Pull US Out Of WTO

      Rachel Notley Pulls Alberta Out Of Federal Climate Plan After Pipeline Decision

      Rachel Notley Pulls Alberta Out Of Federal Climate Plan After Pipeline Decision
      Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says a court decision striking down the approval of the contentious Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is a national crisis — and she's pulling her province out of the federal climate plan until Ottawa fixes it.

      Rachel Notley Pulls Alberta Out Of Federal Climate Plan After Pipeline Decision

      WHL Player Burned In Campfire Incident Tweets He Will Be Released From Hospital

      WHL Player Burned In Campfire Incident Tweets He Will Be Released From Hospital
      An Alberta player with the Western Hockey League who was seriously burned while hanging out at a backyard firepit has tweeted he will be released from a Calgary hospital today.

      WHL Player Burned In Campfire Incident Tweets He Will Be Released From Hospital

      PrevNext