Province focuses on economic diversification with minor Cabinet shuffle

October 22, 2015

Alberta’s new ministry of economic development and trade will present a coordinated effort to diversify the province’s economy.

“A vibrantly diverse economy can provide rewarding jobs and the benefit of prosperity for all Albertans, women and men, Indigenous and new Canadians, and people with physical or other challenges,” said Deron Bilous, who was appointed by Premier Rachel Notley to the new position in a minor Cabinet shuffle this morning.

The movement was made to bring all economic innovation, diversification and development under a single ministry in an attempt to bolster the province’s flagging economy due to a downturn in oil prices. Notley said the province has been without a dedicated minister for economic development and diversification since 2006.

“This is a unique effort for a unique time in Alberta’s economic story,” said Notley. “Our new ministry will support all the strengths that have made Alberta great: pioneering innovation, a vigiourous entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to work hard. And we will put them into action with a comprehensive, province-wide economic diversification plan.”

To that end, the Cabinet reshuffle involved removing “innovation” from Minister Lori Sigurdson’s portfolio of advanced education and jobs, skills, training and labour, and allowed Bilous to focus on the new ministry by appointing Danielle Larivee as minister of municipal affairs and minister of Service Alberta. However, Bilous will continue to work with Larivee on revising the Municipal Government Act and Larivee will continue in her role as co-chair of the Alberta mental health review committee.

Notley said in moving forward, the new plan will depend heavily on the work of the recently created Premier’s advisory committee on the economy. That committee is chaired by University of Alberta’s School of Business dean Joseph Doucet, who was challenged last week by U of A academic Elder and special advisor to continuing education Dr. Eber Hampton to enact the corporate calls to action laid out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Notley said the move to increase the size of Cabinet was due to developing priorities.

“We need to do our part to keep our house in order from a financial and fiscal perspective… but this is a key priority for Albertans, it’s a key priority for business leaders, and job creation continues to be something that our government has to take very seriously and we can’t do it when the efforts around that are scattered between too many ministries,” she said.

The specific details for the new diversification plan will be unveiled in the budget, said Notley, which will be brought down next Tuesday.

Wildrose leader Brian Jean was quick to criticize the NDP’s
plan to grow the economy, saying that diversification would not come through government intervention, but through allowing Albertans to have the freedom and financial stability to invest in new ventures.

“Wildrose knows that the people who diversify economy are our local business owners,” Jean said in a statement. “Instead the NDP have raised taxes on businesses and individuals and have begun a problematic 50 per cent increase to the minimum wage on the backs of small business owners.”