Yesterday, Kevin Taft's Alberta Liberals released their plan for Alberta's future:
Edmonton - A Heritage Fund of $120 billion is the centrepiece of a fiscal strategy released by the Alberta Liberals today, titled Alberta’s Opportunity: Funding Alberta’s Future.The strategy provides a solution for turning Alberta’s non-renewable resources into a sustainable source of prosperity that will support world-class public services, an outstanding post-secondary education system and permanently competitive taxes.
“This plan will convert Alberta’s non-renewable oil and gas wealth into permanent prosperity,” said Alberta Liberal Leader Kevin Taft. “Right now the province is booming, but we desperately need a plan to secure our future, or the boom will go bust.” Read the rest.
The announcement included a new document outlining the plan titled "Funding Alberta's Future."
UPDATE: Here are some news stories on the Alberta Liberals plan:
Liberals want $120B Heritage Fund by 2021
Boost Heritage fund for future: Grit leader
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6 comments:
I'm glad to see the Liberals presenting their plan for Alberta. They had the best platform in the 2004 election and will hopefully make more gains off an even greater platform in 2007.
Meanwhile, Dinning doesn't seem to be offering anything but vague feelgood platitudes
[liberals]+[slush fund]=[disaster]
The Heritage Fund would have worked much better had Klein invested more than simply the interest in the fund - under Klein it actually lost value.
Taft's idea is great - it's called saving for Alberta's future. It's being more than just sustainable, it's being proactive, it's looking at how much better Alberta could be. Taft is the only leader in Alberta actually looking to the future, and for that I give him kudos.
Check out the history of the fund here:
http://www.finance.gov.ab.ca/business/ahstf/history.html
Hancock proposed four additional long term endowments to be funded from non-renewable resource royalty surpluses. Targeted endowments at environment, rural development, social and humanities and innovation. As Min of Advanced Ed he got Cabinet to commit to the endowment Access to the Future Fund.
He will likely do this if he wins the PC Leadership.
The Hertiage fund is a speicifc purpose fund and not flexible enough to work well for Taft's purposes. Besides we ought not put all our eggs in one investment basket. Investment strategies need diversity and to compete to be sure we get the best overall results and returns.
Otherwise Taft is on the right track. Sounds like he could be a Progressive Conservative too.
What kind of caucus support does Dave Hancock have?
I'm sure Taft has 100% support from his caucus on this.
Kevin Taft represents a fresh start for an Alberta better than Hancock or the Tories can offer. Even if Hancock becomes PC leader, he was still part of the same bunch of Klein supporters who admittedly led Alberta for 15 years without a real plan. Hancock was still part of Klein's cabinet and caucus and was PC party president when Klein took over.
If Albertans are really looking for a new fresh voice with new ideas, they won't be looking at the Tories.
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