Alberta Bill 49 aims to ease requirements for Canadian skilled workers
The province is looking to make it easier for Canadians to apply for work in Alberta under Bill 49, the Labour Mobility Act.
If enacted, it will mean any skilled worker or trades professional who is certified in other provinces will be able to apply for jobs in Alberta.
“(This) will affect more than 100 regulated occupations in a wide range of sectors across Alberta's economy,” said Premier Jason Kenney.
“This will be a growth opportunity for job creators in sectors where there simply are not enough skilled Albertans, in turn, having the necessary skills and talent in our province will make Alberta, a more attractive destination for not just workers, but for investment and businesses.”
Occupations such as optometrists, engineers, accountants and dentists will all be included under Bill 49.
The province says 20,000 net new jobs were created in September, with major investments coming from the film and television industry.
Kenney touted a CD Howe Institute study that predicts a $2.8 billion injection into Alberta’s economy if the act is passed.
Tuesday marks the first day back for the fall session of the legislature.
Although the UCP government plans on pushing for a recovery and job growth, the official opposition says it plans to pile pressure onto Kenney and his government about his response to the fourth wave in Alberta.
Kenney's 'Open for Summer' campaign started July 1, with the premier saying there was no longer a need for restrictions.
Since then, COVID-19 case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths have sky-rocketed, and in September, the province reversed course, bringing back mask mandates and a proof of vaccination program.
Political scientist Duane Bratt believes Bill 49 will pass in the house with ease.
“I don’t think you are going to see automatic opposition from the NDP on this, I think there will be a larger discussion and you might see some cooperation on these issues,” he said.
“It does raise issues about, are people leaving this province because of some of the wage cuts and the confrontation Kenney and Shandro have had in the past that they are now hoping that people will now come to Alberta.”
Government House Leader Jason Nixon outlined plans for the fall session, which does not include a throne speech, though Nixon said there will be one in the spring.
Nixon would not commit to an all-party committee on the province’s pandemic response to the fourth wave, at the request of the NDP, instead calling for a robust debate in the legislature.
“Including with the premier, health minister and the official opposition and all members of the chamber to be able to have a discussion of where we are at on COVID-19,” said Nixon.
“But the robust review will take place where the health minister and the premier have committed to, after we are outside the crisis situation of the pandemic.”
The NDP are also calling for a public inquiry into the fourth wave, with heads of the medical association and AHS, something the UCP will not allow, saying it takes healthcare workers away from the frontlines.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.