Alberta’s energy minister says laid off workers could go to B.C.

[DiracSpike]

Originally Posted by Resurrection

So you want the government to budget like a family? Brilliant.

Are you purposely trying to do a terrible Tinordi impression?

[polak]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Even if this person had said, we're looking at options to help people that are struggling, or even if they had the outlines or ideas then you build confidence that things are going to get better.

Oh man and if she said that there would be a thread saying

"NDP's planning to increase spending EVEN MORE".

Things aren't getting better. No matter what she said people would bitch and laugh at what they said because the reality is, as long as OPEC keeps pumping out oil at this rate, we're all screwed. All she could have done is lie.

[username]

Originally Posted by polak

because the reality is, as long as OPEC keeps pumping out oil at this rate

OPEC is not the problem.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Locke

Man, think about it, what do you do if you lose your job? You cut your costs. You dont spend more and use your credit card to pay your mortgage and just hope that eventually something happens and it magically gets better and you dont have to face the reckoning.

I mean, unless you've got a conservative partner that made you get a credit card and spend over and above your income while it was good, letting the debt and costs pile up, and essentially loses it when you come home one day and say "things aren't so good right now, we're just going to have to hunker down."

Analogies, am I right?

[polak]

Originally Posted by username

It would be like the CEO of a company standing before his employees and telling them their company is done. You should just quit your job and work for our competitor.

"Go find work somewhere else"

Yeah, don't think any CEO has said that....

[zamler]

Originally Posted by username

It would be like the CEO of a company standing before his employees and telling them their company is done. You should just quit your job and work for our competitor.

Exactly, yet there are people defending this. I don't even know what to say....

[Locke]

Thats like a:

"Yeah...I got nuthin."

It would be even better if she turned her pockets inside out and did a comical shrug right after.

[Nufy]

Once again this is all about optics...

Geeeze... if these politicians could actually think about what they say before they say it we would be a lot better off.

Any one not working should be thinking about working out of province if you need the work. That should be a no-brainer...

I did it in 2009 when things were slow...

2-4 week stretches away at a time for 2 years...

Ya do what you gotta do to pay the bills.

I don't remember the gov't suggesting it to me back then though...

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

to basically stand there / Even if this person had said / basically said that

If there was a Madlibs for partisan criticism of a political figure, it would be "So, ______ basically said _______ and basically did ______ and I'm mad as hell about it!"

We all read the same words. We all (as usual) understood their significance differently (negative, neutral, or positive), but the most fun is finding out what we all actually think was said (instead of what was actually said).

It's the only thing that can make some banal statement interesting sometimes.

[polak]

Originally Posted by username

OPEC is not the problem.

Okay, our high production costs vs. Conventional.

Either way, a $40 barrell means we're toast. Regardless of the 2 percentage point corporate tax increase or the royalty review which has been very cooperative with the patch or a carbon levy that a) doesn't kick in for years b) targets the consumer, not the producers and c) is similar to legislation that is being rolled out in almost every province.

Fact of the matter is, this is exactly what everyone knew would happen after the election. Oil would plummet, the NDP would be left holding the bag and gets called out for either not following election promises or for delivering at a bad time. No win situation.

At least people who get laid off get to blame someone else for the patch troubles. It's everyone but the patches fault that the entire industry was ill prepared for an inevitable bust.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Really sucks that the protest vote against the conservatives (who had to go) were either this or the New Republican Party. Why can't the Liberals get some sort of legitimate presence in this province?

Because the Liberals have been running out a series of uninspiring, bland, easily forgettable leaders for nearly two decades now. That's sort of what Greg Clark was trying to fix with the Alberta party, but - assuming it is possible - that will take time to grow.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by username

It would be like the CEO of a company standing before his employees and telling them their company is done. You should just quit your job and work for our competitor.

I suppose you'd prefer CEO Ralph tell the East Coasters moving here, many whom resided in Alberta, paid taxes just like the rest of us and contributed to building this great province, to take a hike because they're creeps and bums from the wrong side of Canada? Or perhaps how he could spray socialists in Edmonton as easy as mosquitoes?

I guess it depends on how you like your CEOs, if that's even a comparable to government.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

One of the biggest jobs of a government is to inspire confidence. They are supposed to be the ones that have the plan, or at least thoughts on how to manage the province or the country.

People aren't fragile children. Albertans need to face the reality that when times are booming and people are making money hand over fist, it isn't necessarily because we're all super and exceptional and outstanding people - it's because oil is $110 a barrel. And when times are bad it isn't because some evil government or foreign power somewhere has it in for us - it's because oil is $40 a barrel. The sooner Albertans understand this and make rational decisions based on this, the better.

But like Regorium says, I could never be a politician because I could never get in the habit of telling people lies to make them feel good.

Originally Posted by username

It would be like the CEO of a company standing before his employees and telling them their company is done. You should just quit your job and work for our competitor.

Of course, most energy companies in this province have done exactly that by laying off employees. Those workers were not necessary in a $40 oil environment, so they were told to leave. But the province can't lay off citizens, even if there are too many people here in some fields for the work in a $40 oil environment.

So the comments of the energy minister are like a CEO admitting that job cuts are necessary in this market.

[Frequitude]

Its good advice. They should go to BC or elsewhere to find jobs if they have to. That being said, it is a dumb thing for a political leader of this province to say.

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Not the greatest thing to say right now, but Ralph sending homeless folks on a bus to B.C. was far more inhumane.

I don't think anyone's calling her comments inhumane so I fail to see how this in any way relates to the discussion.

Originally Posted by Resurrection

Rabble Rabble Rabble NDP Rabble Rabble Rabble Justin Trudeau

Am I doing it right?

Yes, you are doing your annoying sore winner unable to participate in a mature conversation with those on the other side of the fence regarding shortcomings of your view of the world routine perfectly.

[#22]

Originally Posted by username

It would be like the CEO of a company standing before his employees and telling them their company is done. You should just quit your job and work for our competitor.

Isn't that what all these layoffs are saying to people? Sorry, there's no work for you here at the moment, go find it somewhere else. When times are good again, please come back. Essentially the same thing as what she's saying, no?

FWIW, I agree that it was a stupid thing to say. True leaders inspire confidence. This does not.

[polak]

Oil Patch executives and veterans who have been in the industry for longer than a lot of the people on this board have been alive can't figure out how to properly run their business in this boom bust cycle without crazy cost run ups in the good times and crazy layoffs and cuts in the bad but the first time government who has been in place for less than a year?

Well they should have it figured it out by now. What are they waiting for?

Your own industry abandones you to protect the slimmest of shareholder values but you point your vitriol at the new government. Love it.

[HotHotHeat]

The Liberal Party will be a good position to come across as a more right wing, but still progressive option next election.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by HotHotHeat

The Liberal Party will be a good position to come across as a more right wing, but still progressive option next election.

They basically need to overhaul everything their party stands for, and get a new leader.

[darklord700]

I don't think she miss-spoke and it's more of a Freudian slip. She would like the O&G workers to move so they won't be here to vote them out next time.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by Frequitude

I don't think anyone's calling her comments inhumane so I fail to see how this in any way relates to the discussion.

Inhumane:

without compassion for misery or suffering; cruel.

Wouldn't you agree telling people to pack up and move somewhere else because the NDP have no answer for anything is without compassion for those suffering employment and hard times? I would think so.