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

      Competition Tribunal To Hear Case On Airline Food Starting In October

      Competition Tribunal To Hear Case On Airline Food Starting In October
      The federal Competition Tribunal has set a date for hearings of the Vancouver Airport Authority, which has been accused by the Competition Bureau of dampening competition among in-flight catering companies.

      Competition Tribunal To Hear Case On Airline Food Starting In October

      Calgary Girl Mehak Minhas Paralyzed In Texas Crash Going To California For Treatment

      Calgary Girl Mehak Minhas Paralyzed In Texas Crash Going To California For Treatment
      Mehak Minhas, 10, is to arrive at the Shriners hospital in Sacramento on Monday, accompanied by her eight-year-old sister Jupleen and mother Jasleen.

      Calgary Girl Mehak Minhas Paralyzed In Texas Crash Going To California For Treatment

      Man, 20, Stabbed While Waiting For Train At Edmonton Light Rail Transit

      Man, 20, Stabbed While Waiting For Train At Edmonton Light Rail Transit
      A witness says a man was stabbed in the chest in an unprovoked attack while waiting for a train during Edmonton's busy morning commute.

      Man, 20, Stabbed While Waiting For Train At Edmonton Light Rail Transit

      Victoria Police Seek Help Finding Visually-Impaired Man's Stolen Coat

      VANCOUVER — Police in Victoria are looking for a thief who stole a treasured coat from the arms of a visually impaired man.

      Victoria Police Seek Help Finding Visually-Impaired Man's Stolen Coat

      Police Arrest Man Who Allegedly Drove Across U.S.-Canada Border Without Stopping

      Police Arrest Man Who Allegedly Drove Across U.S.-Canada Border Without Stopping
      Vancouver police say a man in his 20s is under arrest after allegedly speeding across the border from the United States into Canada without stopping.

      Police Arrest Man Who Allegedly Drove Across U.S.-Canada Border Without Stopping

      NDP's Jagmeet Singh Set To Run In B.C.'s Burnaby South Riding After Nomination

      NDP's Jagmeet Singh Set To Run In B.C.'s Burnaby South Riding After Nomination
      VANCOUVER — Federal New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh will run in an upcoming byelection in British Columbia. A crowd cheered and clapped as Singh formally announced his nomination for the riding of Burnaby South at an event Saturday.

      NDP's Jagmeet Singh Set To Run In B.C.'s Burnaby South Riding After Nomination

      PrevNext