Conservatives fail to spend millions meant for the West

The NDP is troubled to learn that the Conservative government has repeatedly failed to spend millions of dollars allocated for economic diversification. From 2010 to 2014, the Government left untouched $70 million for Western Economic Diversification.

NDP MP Linda Duncan (Edmonton—Strathcona), Official Opposition critic for Western Economic Diversification, is calling on the Minister to spend the allocated funds and genuinely diversify grants to sectors beyond the fossil fuel sector.

“As the Official Opposition critic for this portfolio I’ve been made aware of the failure to genuinely support economic diversity. I strongly urge consideration to other applicants, including from the renewable and energy efficiency sectors. By supporting these sectors we can truly diversify the Western Canadian economy, create local jobs and reduce the negative economic impact of rollercoaster prices for fossil fuels.”

This week Duncan launches her tour of Western Canada, meeting with representatives of the clean energy sector in Saskatoon and Winnipeg.