Premiers meeting golden opportunity for Stelmach: professor
Last Updated: Monday, October 20, 2008 | 11:01 AM ET
CBC News
Canadian premiers are meeting in Montreal Monday to discuss the economic turmoil facing Canada and the rest of North America — and one Alberta professor says it's the perfect time to talk about the province's ability to generate wealth.
The one-day sit-down is the perfect opportunity for Premier Ed Stelmach "to talk about the importance of the Alberta economy to national growth in terms of the contribution we have made, and continue to make, to employment growth," said Mike Percy, the dean of the University of Alberta school of business.
"I think as a platform for talking about Alberta — as a catalyst for growth for the country as a whole — [there's] no better venue."
Percy said Alberta's message could also be picked up by Saskatchewan and British Columbia, presenting an argument about the economic strength of Western Canada.
"I think the reality that there's a global slowdown and certainly a recession in the U.S., with a possible recession in Quebec and Ontario, is an ideal opportunity for not only the Alberta premier but the Western premiers to say 'look let's talk turkey about where growth is going to occur in this country in the coming year,'" Percy said.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper was invited to the meeting but said he will not be attending. Instead, Harper said, he is hoping to talk about the economy with the provincial leaders sometime in the near future.
