Premier-designate Rachel Notley plans to keep Alberta as a ‘healthy place’ to invest

WATCH ABOVE: Alberta Premier-designate Rachel Notley on Keystone, jobs and climate change

TORONTO – Following a historic win by Alberta’s New Democrats, Premier-designate Rachel Notley sat down with Global’s chief political correspondent Tom Clark to discuss a number of issues facing Albertans including job creation, oil pipelines and climate change.

Notley led the NDP to a stunning victory in the provincial election and said she is looking forward to carrying out the promises of her campaign.

“My platform has been fairly clear all along and it’s been founded on this idea that what we want to do is build our economy and we want to ensure that we create more stable long–term jobs for Albertans,” Notley said.

READ MORE: Petitions call for NDP MLA to resign in wake of pot T-shirt, Canada flag flip off posts

The NDP ended a 44-year political dynasty by Progressive Conservatives and the win not only came as a shock to many but also to the country’s business sector as the S&P/TSX composite index plunged almost 200 points Wednesday.

In the NDP’s campaign platform, the party promised to raise the corporate tax rate from 10 to 12 per cent and promised to create a Resource Owners Rights Commission to review royalties that oil companies pay to the provincial government. The NDP also promised to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2018.

Notley said she wanted to reassure the business community, and particularly the energy sector, that Alberta will remain a healthy place to invest under her government.

“We have a long history of being a healthy place for investment in Alberta and I have no interest in changing that,” she said. “I just want to ensure that as we move forward the planning and the discussion around that, the interest of Albertans are front and centre.”

“I see business and in particular leaders of the energy sector, but other businesses as well, as being partners in what I think we all want to see, which is prosperity,” she added.

READ MORE: How the economy is reacting to the Alberta NDP win

One issue that the Premier-designate is sure to face in her first meetings with leaders of the oil and gas industry is her stance on the future of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Past PC Premiers, like Jim Prentice who quickly resigned as party leader, have actively promoted projects such as Keystone and Northern Gateway.

Notley has said she would take a less active role in pushing for Keystone as she has concerns about sending jobs south of the border.

“My concern about Keystone as its currently thought out … is that it’s going to ship a lot of jobs south of here,” she said.

“The resources that we have in this province should be used for the long term benefit of Albertans.”

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And when it comes to the environment Notley said her government will need some time to create strategy to address climate change.

“I want to be sure that we are able to come forward  very quickly with something that is meaningful that Albertans can be proud of and that investors outside of Alberta can that ‘that is real’ and it going to make things better.”

*With files from Leslie Young