Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says immigration is one of the topics she will discuss during her province-wide televised address to Albertans on Thursday.
Smith was reacting to online comments made by one of her staffers, Bruce McAllister, who is the executive director of the Premier’s office in Calgary.
In comments posted online, McAllister said “unsustainable mass immigration into Canada” fills him “with profound disgust.”
“‘Why import from nations with failed systems when our Judeo-Christian heritage and principles have worked so well here?'” asks McAllister.
Asked about the comments during an unrelated news conference in Calgary on Wednesday, Smith said the province faces plenty of challenges ahead of next week’s provincial budget.
“Our expenses have been growing faster than our revenue growth, and part of that is we’ve had the fastest-growing population in Canada adding 600,000 people in the last four years alone,” said Smith.
“I think there’s only one country in the world that’s exceeded the level of population growth that Canada has had and so this clearly needs to change. This is not sustainable, so I will have more to say about that in the address and we will begin the conversation with Albertans about what happens next,” added Smith.
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Canada’s transport minister, Steve MacKinnon, who was also in Calgary on Wednesday to attend an event hosted by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, stood by the federal government’s immigration policies.
“Canada has an immigration system that is admired the world over that has helped build this country and this province,” said MacKinnon.
“‘How have we done that? Well, we’ve focused on the skills that we require and attracting the best and the brightest.”
“It is simply math that we will require people, particularly in rural parts in this country to staff some of these jobs we need to meet our own ambitions, to meet Alberta’s ambitions, to meet Canada’s ambitions,” added MacKinnon.
Albertans will be able to watch the premier’s province-wide address Thursday evening at 6:45 p.m. on Global Television.
Bruce McAllister is the same clown that moderated the Alberta Next panel and told a teenager that his parents should spank him when he asked a question. This guy is an embarrassment.