Stelmach backs off on allegations of job losses, well sort of...

It seems that Ed Stelmach has finally provided CBC's Kim Trynacity with an answer to the question she posed to during last week's debate - well, sort of...

A new story ('Stelmach oftens job losses statistic in final days of campaign') from the CBC tonight, explains that in response to continued prodding from reporters about the source of his prediction that the Liberal's climate change plan would lead to 300 000 job losses in Alberta, Stelmach modified his orignal statistic to include resulting job losses across Canada. As the CBC explains,

On Tuesday in Calgary, the question arose again, and as Stelmach was formulating an answer, his communications adviser jumped in with some prodding: "Across Canada, make that clear, premier, Alberta and across Canada."

The Tory leader then said, "Yeah, these are 300,000 jobs across the country of Canada, and that's a small amount given the fact that 745,000 jobs rely on the oil and gas industry in the country of Canada."

Before Tuesday's statement, the Progressive Conservatives used the job loss statistic in a news release that attacked the Alberta Liberals' climate change plan, which promises to bring in caps on carbon emissions within five years, and Stelmach quoted the number in a heated debate with an environmentalist.

"The other plan destroys 335,000 jobs. There are 600,000 new Albertans in this province. Do you want to send them back home to other provinces, other countries?" Stelmach said on Feb. 11.

Oh, OKAY. Anyhow, from what I can tell Stelmach still was unable to provide the source for this updated statistic, even though it now seems an extremely miniscule touch more plausible. Hmm...maybe the source is in the taxpayer-funded climate change report the government is refusing to release?

That's right, the CBC has also discovered that the Alberta government has commissioned a report entitled, 'Economic Analysis of Climate Change Abatement Opportunities for Alberta' from Canada's foremost expert on climate change policies, Mark Jaccard. Opportunities, foremost expert - sounds pretty interesting, doesn't it? Well, don't get your hopes up for reading it anytime soon. Although the report was completed in 2006, and the government claims it informed their climate change "strategy," according to the Department of Energy, the report is not "ready" to be released to the public. In my translation of this statement from public-affairs-bureauese, it can only mean one of two things:

1. The Department didn't expect that anyone would be requesting this report anytime soon, and so has not bothered to complete the appropriate spinning processes on said report. Or,

2. The Department fully expected that requests for this report would be made, however has been instructed not to release the report until after the election.

Clearly option #2 is the most plausible explanation. First of all, there is a precedent for this type of behavior.  Sure enough, the department has promised that the report will eventually be released with a full technical briefing. Unfortunately, in Alberta's sad state of democratic affairs, this likely means after the election. Moreover, given Stelmach's penchant for hyperbole and scare-mongering when it comes to climate change, and knowing Jaccard's penchant for sensible yet effective policies, I would wager that if the report does get released it will be after a drawn-out FOIP process complete with heavy sensoring under the guise of 'Advice to Officals,*' or some garbage like that.

* Yes, thanks to Bill 20, anything considered by the government to be "advice to officials" does not have to be released to the public.

UPDATE: Stelmach has finally identified his source for his oft-repeated 300 000 job losses statistic: THERE IS NO SOURCE. It appears that Stelmach confused the Liberals' policy to institute a hard cap at levels determined by industry in consultation with the government by 2013 with the Kyoto accord, which calls for  (now drastic) reductions of GHG to 6 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. I say "it appears" because Stelmach refuses to admit this is what happened,

"Just give it some thought: 600,000 new Albertans in this province of Alberta, bringing back greenhouse gases to the levels of 1990 with all of the growth we've had in every community in the province of Alberta," he told reporters in Lethbridge.

"Three hundred thousand job losses across Canada would be minimal if you look at the number of jobs in the oil and gas industry."

When a reporter suggested he was mistaken, Stelmach asked if he was defending the Liberal policy.

"They clearly said Kyoto-style caps, absolute caps, 1990... I have a very clear understanding of their policy," said Stelmach, a leader often nicknamed "Honest Ed."

Wow. He won't even admit he's wrong!! The Liberals do not say anything about Kyoto, see for yourself. This is such blatant manipulation of facts for the purpose of scarce-mongering I don't even know what to say. Politicians are prone to spin, but would Stelmach's behavior fly anywhere else? What it comes down to is  that Stelmach is using these tactics because he assumes Albertans can't and won't think for themselves and check the facts. He excepts us all to unblinkingly trust him. Albertans deserve better than this. Stelmach should come clean and apologize for willfully misleading the public.  But given that this is Alberta and we LOVE letting politicians get away with this kind of thing, I won't hold my breath.