Alberta Conservatives want you to trust them!

Vote for me again and just maybe I will do something for the citizens of this province!

The window Stelmach has given, moving into 2010 will put them past another election and, depending on what the oil companies say, the scaled increases will be put in place. He would like you to move forward with warm and fuzzy thoughts and, no substance.

This sounds a lot like the last election when they were fighting privatizing health care. 23% (We) voted them back in and yes, the health care is now privatized! The Health Care regions are set up as private corporations, hospitals are owned by the board members and Capital health has completed lists for un insuring segments health care. Buy more insurance is the mantra.

The “New” Royalty Regime” is still another exercise in creating projects with no accountability. Rather than go to the voter and say “we want you to subsidize oil up-graders” they will now take bitumen as currency and give this bitumen to the up-graders at reduced rates. I would guess rather than getting a dollar on this product we will be getting 50 or 70 cents. It is after all in line with the cost plus operation they put in on every one of their projects assuring their friends will walk away with the coin.

Another blind spot to be exploited is the taxation. 1.4 billion is only a very small percentage of the total amount of money in play in the tar sands. One could call it a miniscule amount. As such, it would be very easy to give back every cent of this money in tax breaks.

There is no mention of the oil companies paying the billions for the road upgrade into McMurray. At these rates it will take years to pay for while the rest of Alberta goes short in infrastructure. Infrastructure was deliberately short funded to open the door for 3PO schemes. Private companies build and maintain them leasing them back to the state. If it doesn't work the state is stuck with the bundle, in effect paying twice.

Remember, there is no accounting of what is an expense in the tar sands. What ever they put in for is okay and this Government steadfastly refuses to put in guidelines or do any expense audit.

Allowed to proceed on the track they have chosen there will be a huge amount of dollars bundling into the oil company coffers and, Ottawa will be reaching in to take up the slack.

Predictable the Alberta Conservatives will scream foul citing another NEP where in truth it will be a disaster of their own making, failing to take a reasonable cut from the resource.

I still think this has been one large dog and pony show brining us with much fan fair to a point where we get nothing.

I am so looking forward to the Parkland Institute analysis of the numbers.

John Clark
cyberclark@shaw.ca