Alberta Energy and Minerals Minister Brian Jean has come up with a new nickname for NDP leader Naheed Nenshi. Jean said AER Board members were getting a pay raise because they show up for work. “Now the Phantom of the Opposition that is somewhere in this place possibly or somewhere else around Alberta is not showing up for work, Mr. Speaker,” said Jean in a Wednesday speech during Question Period in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. “He had an opportunity just recently to show up for work and take a seat in Lethbridge, but he chose not to, Mr. Speaker.” While Nenshi did not run in the Lethbridge-West byelection, Jean said he “can’t imagine anybody getting less money for a job than the current leader of the Opposition that doesn’t show up for work.” Alberta NDP MLA Gurinder Brar (Calgary-North East) started off by saying it pays to be friends with the Alberta government. “While Albertans are struggling as a result of the UCP’s (United Conservative Party’s) cost of living crisis, the minister of energy announced he was hiking the salaries of his friends at the Alberta Energy Regulator,” said Brar. “The board chair will be making $174,000 a year, and the board members will be making $125,000 a year.” However, Brar said the worst part is Jean thinks these salaries are not competitive enough. He asked him how much more of a Christmas bonus will he give AER Board members. While AER Board members are not his friends, Jean said they are Albertans who know what to do with Alberta’s energy. “Mr. Speaker, $183 billion industry this year, $23 billion paid to the people of Alberta for schools and hospitals and bridges and all of those things they love,” he said. “Mr. Speaker, the interesting part is the people of Alberta don’t pay those wages that this member’s talk about.” The oil and gas industry pays those wages. While he does not understand why Brar is standing up for Big Oil, he thanked him for standing up for Alberta’s interests. In this case, Brar called out Jean for raising AER Board members’ pay. “Given that the minister stated that the board chair of the AER was getting a ‘big, fat pay raise,’ given that the minister agrees with this side of the house that the situation he has created at the Alberta Energy Regulator was ‘a gravy train,’ given that the minister of jobs bragged how opposed he was to pay Albertans a living wage, can the minister explain why he’s giving his buddies on the AER Board a big, fat pay raise while his constituents get nothing,” he said. Although Jean snapped back with a new nickname for Nenshi, Brar questioned if he would roll back these pay raises. “Given Alberta has the lowest minimum wage, but in UCP land, their friends and supporters are being taken care, given that in addition to the big, fat pay raise gave the AER Board this government is lavish in supporting their friends, given that the premier’s allies have gotten $700,000 in no-bid contracts while all Albertans have gotten this session is a hike in their insurance premiums and deindexation of their benefits, will the minister show some leadership and roll back these big fat pay raises for UCP insiders?” he said. Rather than give what Brar wanted, Jean said no. “The answer is I’m going to make sure the oil and gas industry in Alberta pays the wages to regulate the oil and gas industry in Alberta,” he said. He said he thinks that is fair and Albertans like that, so it will continue this way. Additionally, he pointed out Alberta has the highest weekly wages in Canada. Jean concluded by saying the oil and gas industry provides so much wealth to Albertans and is a major job to manage it. He said he “can’t imagine it takes much to manage the caucus of the Opposition because their leader doesn’t show up for work.” Nenshi suggested on November 19 he wants Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to fire a Calgary cabinet minister and have him or her resign to enable him to run for a seat in the legislature. .Nenshi encourages Smith to fire Calgary cabinet minister to give him chance at seat .“There’s nine of them from Calgary, and seven of them I have no idea what they do,” said Nenshi. “So she’s got a great menu.”
