ALF V1

Gil McGowan


So now the Alberta Federation of Labour is trying to potentially destroy the livelihood of some Albertans, because these people have different political beliefs than those of Gil McGowan, the Alberta Federation of Labour, and the NDP.


If an individual keeps increasing the amount of debt they have, with no similar increase in revenue, eventually they will have to reduce their expenditures, even on necessities like clothing, food, and shelter. A province is no different. Currently the interest on debt for the province is over 2 billion dollars. The majority of that debt assumed under the guidance of the NDP party.


The provincial debit interest was projected to increase to approximately 3 billion by 2022 to 2023, but the Covid-19 pandemic will make the debt interest charges even higher than 3 billion. That is with the cuts in expenditures that the provincial government has made. Without an equivalent increase in revenue, how will the province pay the additional debt interest?


Of course the province could implement a sales tax, which would also increase the taxes your members pay, and reduce their income. Also, of course, if the government introduced a sales tax, your organization would be vehemently opposed to that, and vote against any party advocating tax increases to your members.


It was inevitable that there would be cuts to expenditures in the province. Even the NDP would eventually have had to make cuts. By the time the NDP actually understood that though, the debt the province acquired would be crushing. (It took Rachel Notley almost a full 4 years to understand how important oil and gas really was to the financial well-being of this province.)


What will Gil McGowan choose to do? He will try to get the NDP back in power, because that is in his short term interest. It is not in the long term best interest of Albertans.


Having taken no economics courses, or finance courses, and never actually owning or managing a real business, Rachel Notley actually believes it is acceptable to assume provincial debt that amounts to 42% of the provincial gross domestic product. Some people would say that is insane.


I have no doubt that you, Gil McGowan, will do your best to help Rachel Notley achieve that insanity, and 5 to 10 years from now, all Albertans will pay with higher taxes and severe future cuts to health, education, and family services. It will not matter to you. You will have secured your own financial future, and will be living in retirement with little concern for the actual financial situation of the many members of the union that you lead today.


I understand that nothing I have stated here will make any difference to you. If you understood how truly harmful your position really is, you wouldn’t have made that choice in the first place.


Enjoy your future retirement.