Close X
    Saturday, November 23, 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

      Three People Plead Guilty To Unlawful Confinement In Alberta Naked Kidnapping

      LEDUC, Alta. — Three people in Alberta have pleaded guilty after being charged in a bizarre naked kidnapping case that may have involved hallucinogenic tea.

      Three People Plead Guilty To Unlawful Confinement In Alberta Naked Kidnapping

      Woman, Nephew Settle Lawsuit Over Chase The Ace Jackpot In Nova Scotia

      Woman, Nephew Settle Lawsuit Over Chase The Ace Jackpot In Nova Scotia
      PORT HAWKESBURY, N.S. — A Nova Scotia woman and her nephew have settled their painful, public dispute over a $1.2 million Chase the Ace jackpot that made headlines across Canada.

      Woman, Nephew Settle Lawsuit Over Chase The Ace Jackpot In Nova Scotia

      NDP Has Yet To Nominate A Single Candidate For Next Federal Election

      NDP Has Yet To Nominate A Single Candidate For Next Federal Election
      We're just now starting to have all of our nomination dates up, so we're hoping to have all of our incumbents at the very least nominated by the end of 2018 and then hopefully in the new year we can get a bunch more

      NDP Has Yet To Nominate A Single Candidate For Next Federal Election

      Leaked Video Shows Trudeau 'Upset' At Meeting With Sask. First Nations Chiefs

      Leaked Video Shows Trudeau 'Upset' At Meeting With Sask. First Nations Chiefs
       A Saskatchewan chief says a video posted online showing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau telling First Nations leaders he is upset about how time was managed in a recent meeting is unfortunate.

      Leaked Video Shows Trudeau 'Upset' At Meeting With Sask. First Nations Chiefs

      'Stopped Him In His Tracks:' Outrage After Ex-Pro Hockey Player Kills Grizzly

      'Stopped Him In His Tracks:' Outrage After Ex-Pro Hockey Player Kills Grizzly
      A former professional hockey player is facing a backlash after he posted photos of a massive dead grizzly bear he hunted in Yukon.

      'Stopped Him In His Tracks:' Outrage After Ex-Pro Hockey Player Kills Grizzly

      Canadian Home Sales Rise By 0.9 Per Cent Between July And August

      Canadian Home Sales Rise By 0.9 Per Cent Between July And August
      OTTAWA — Canada's housing market rebound appears to be slowing amid diminishing increases in national home sales, says the Canadian Real Estate Association.

      Canadian Home Sales Rise By 0.9 Per Cent Between July And August

      PrevNext