Enhancing Alberta’s Competitive Position: Bill 1
Arno Doerksen – Submitted
As the 2010 Olympics have now concluded, I would like to congratulate Team Canada and Alberta’s athletes for their contributions to our success. Participation at this level of competition requires dedication and perseverance over many years. We can all be proud of what has been achieved by participants and organizers in bringing the Vancouver Olympics to the world stage. I also want to extend best wishes on behalf of the Strathmore-Brooks constituency to the athletes in the upcoming Paralympic Games.
The ability to compete successfully is also a key aspect of ensuring the economic future of our province. As we start the new session of the Legislature, the focus is on strengthening the partnership between business, industry and government through the introduction of Bill 1, the Alberta Competitiveness Act. The importance of establishing a climate for business that encourages investment and limits red tape is something I well appreciate from my experience in agriculture. A top priority in this regard is making sure that federal, provincial and municipal regulations strike the right balance. While some standards are appropriately reflected in law, it is equally important to let the market (not government) establish any need for specifications that exceed this threshold. In this way we can be certain that the effort and investment made by industry will be rewarded. Any other approach can add significant cost making it more difficult for sectors to compete in the global marketplace.
Bill 1 sets the tone for a systematic examination of our regulatory framework and the role of government in business. From my perspective, it will be vital to consider these factors in both the domestic and international context. Our province has established a strong presence in markets around the world with exports of goods and services more than tripling between 1998 and 2008 to approximately $120 billion. All of this depends on our ability to ensure businesses in Alberta are, at minimum, on a level playing field with competitors. As the saying goes “the only thing constant in life is change” and for this reason we need a system of meaningful benchmarks that will enable us to evaluate Alberta’s position over time. These benchmarks should be communicated to all Albertan’s so that we can work together to enhance our competitiveness and productivity. Certainly the adoption of new technology will be key in this regard and was considered in the development of Bill 1.
As we move forward, Bill 1 will involve consultation with representatives of the various sectors of the Alberta economy around how our competitiveness can be enhanced. Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to provide a response to the Throne Speech on behalf of the residents of our constituency. I shared with the Premier and the members of the Legislature the importance of the competiveness review to sectors such as energy and agriculture which employ significant numbers of individuals in our Strathmore-Brooks constituency. It is encouraging that Bill 1 seeks to establish the current state of Alberta’s competitiveness and to recommend further actions that can be taken by government, industry and business. In this regard, I know there are perspectives within our communities that need to be brought forward as part of this process. To facilitate this you can share your thoughts by responding to the Constituency Consultation on my website at www.ArnoDoerksen.ca.
If you prefer, you can also contact my office to provide this information. The feedback I have received since becoming your MLA has indicated to me the high priority you assign to this area and I will continue to communicate this in the Legislature.
Arno Doerksen will be holding a number of public meetings this month. Since being elected in March 2008, MLA Doersken has met with many individuals and groups in the constituency over issues from health care, deficit spending, energy, senior’s care and the economy. With Constituency Week upcoming at the end of March, Doerksen would like the opportunity to hear from constituents.
Meetings will be held:
-March 29, at the Rosemary Recreation Centre at 10 a.m. and the Rolling Hills Community Hall, Multipurpose Room at 2 p.m.
-March 30, at the Hussar Senior Sundowners Centre at 9:30 a.m., Rockyford Village Office at 2 p.m. and Travelodge in Strathmore at 7 p.m.
-March 31, at the Brooks Heritage Inn at 7 p.m.
Constituents are encouraged to attend any of these public meetings.
For more information contact the Strathmore-Brooks Constituency Office at (403) 362-6969.