Alberta senator wants prime minister and cabinet to meet in the province

OTTAWA — A senator from Alberta is inviting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to hold a cabinet meeting in the province.

Doug Black says he has written a letter to Trudeau urging him to bring his cabinet to see first-hand what the senator calls the devastation caused by federal government policies.

Black does not say in his news release which policies he has in mind.

He says in the letter that Ottawa is missing important input and context from the province, because no Liberals were elected in Alberta in last fall’s election.

He says a cabinet meeting would be “a big statement” to Albertans that the federal government will address their concerns.

Black suggests either Fort McMurray or Grande Prairie would be good locations, because Ottawa hasn’t heard about the economic suffering there.

The oil and gas industry plays a large role economically in both cities.

“If this government is going to work for all Canadians, it should come to see the negative effects of their policies on those very same citizens and, if they come to Alberta, they will see not all Canadians have been treated fairly,” he said in his release Wednesday. 

Black was appointed to the Senate by former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper in 2013 after winning a nominee election in Alberta the previous year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 8, 2020

The Canadian Press