Mike Ellis

Alberta’s energy industry is a critical file for us in the UCP opposition.  We are continuing to make motions, and raise this issue in the Legislative Assembly as often as possible.  Our record, including the record of our Leader, Jason Kenney when he was a member of the federal conservative government, is one of strength and one of getting pipeline projects approved and getting oil and gas products moving to markets.

No one doubts the Premier’s commitment to the industry, particularly after she took office within government.  However, we believe strongly that she has made grave errors in how she has handled this file.  The Premier has formed a strong alliance with Justin Trudeau, who has shown time and time again that he wants to shut down our industry if given the opportunity.

• He killed Northern Gateway
• He made the regulatory situation so uncertain for TransCanada and Energy East that it is unlikely to proceed.
• He spent $4.5 billion dollars on TransMountain but is doing nothing to actually get it built.
• He wrote Bill C-69 which will effectively end any hope of another pipeline project being approved in Canada ever again.

All this time, the Premier has formed an alliance with Justin Trudeau   Her protests of these measures, while increasing, have been tepid at best.

It is said that those we form friendships with oftentimes can tell us a lot about ourselves.  For our Premier, her continued friendship with Justin Trudeau tells Albertans everything they need to know about how she intends to fight for our energy industry.

It is hard to believe but the next provincial election will be upon us very soon.  I believe strongly that this upcoming election is a critical one as we consider Alberta’s future.  The significant pressures coming from the discounted price we get for Alberta’s resources have become extremely pronounced.  All parties vying for your support will undoubtedly put forward policies and initiatives to deal with this circumstance. We believe strongly that the voter is never wrong, and trust the collective wisdom of Albertans to select both their individual MLAs but also to determine the makeup of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

I encourage you, regardless of political stripe, regardless of whether the UCP is a party you are considering supporting or not, to take the upcoming election as an opportunity to get involved.  Seek out your local constituency association and become familiar and involved in what is going on in your community. If a particular candidate or party speaks to you, I believe they would value your time and insight both prior to and during the campaign period.  I know our team and our party certainly would value your time and insight. Being politically involved offers everyone the chance to shape our province and become more familiar with the workings of our government.

If getting politically involved is something that suits you, please feel free to get in touch and I would be happy to connect you.

Mike Ellis, MLA

As we begin to enter the holiday season, I want to take a moment to wish all my constituents
and their families a very happy holiday! Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, or
any other holiday, (or simply taking a few days rest) our winter traditions are one of the things
that binds families and communities together.

It is also a time of reflection as 2018 leaves us. 2018 was a busy year for Alberta and particular
for provincial politics, with a great deal of progress made within the United Conservative Party
and our opposition team. We look forward to 2019 which will offer us the chance to bring our
alternative proposal about restoring the Alberta Advantage in the upcoming provincial election.

No matter how you celebrate during the holidays, I hope you will take the time to embrace the
winter season with friends and family. Be sure to go out and enjoy the winter wonderland
around us (weather permitting, of course). Many communities have family skating times, or
other holiday events which offer great opportunities for the kids to socialize, and for the adults
to take a moment’s break.

In closing, please allow me to wish you a very happy holiday, much joy with your families and all
the best for the new year ahead.

As we approach the winter season, it is always a good time to consider the thoughtful
contributions of community volunteers – those individuals who work hard to give back to the
community around us.

No matter how you volunteer, whether it be on a community association board, for your
children’s school parent council, for a charity like the Mustard Seed, or for a cause that you care
about, your time and energy is very valuable and helps to improve the lives of those around us
all. Statistics Canada surveyed Canadians in 2010 to better understand volunteering and found
that 1 in 2 Canadians aged fifteen or older volunteered at least once that year, and collectively
we volunteered more than 2 billion hours. That is roughly equivalent to 1 million full time
volunteer jobs!

Volunteering doesn’t have to be formal or flashy – it can be as simple as shoveling the driveway
of an elderly neighbour, or picking up your friend’s kids from school. The amount of
unreported acts of volunteerism in our community is enormous. It’s a great way to stay
healthy, make new connections, and have fun!

It’s also never too early to start volunteering, or take your children with you. Helping our young
people understand the idea of giving back to those less fortunate than us, or just to a cause
they care about is a very valuable thing to teach!

There are many volunteer organizations. I encourage you to make your new years resolution to
give back some time where you can!

I hope this note finds your family well, and getting back into the hustle and bustle that always
marks the start of the new school year. We are headed back to the legislature shortly for what I
am sure will be a fast-paced session.
Oil and Gas issues remain top of mind for me as your MLA. Many of our friends and neighbors
in Calgary-West are (or, unfortunately, were) employed in the oil and gas industry. We are
working continuously in the legislature in Edmonton, alongside our opposition counterparts in
Ottawa, to move Alberta and Canada forward as attractive places of investment for oil and gas
companies.
You may have read about Bill C-69 before the House of Commons in Ottawa which significantly
changes the process for pipeline and oil and gas project approvals. The realities of this bill are
stark. In the words of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, “This makes it difficult to
imagine that a new major pipeline could be built in Canada."
The changes in Bill C-69 were also applied to the Energy East Pipeline retroactively, and resulted
in it being scrapped. We need to help put pressure on the government in Ottawa to reverse
these changes which will be disastrous to our oil and gas industry. I encourage you to contact
friends and neighbors who live elsewhere in the country than Alberta to help share Alberta’s
energy story – that our energy is clean, and produced in a manner which is environmentally
conscious and socially responsible. We won’t change this law in Alberta – we need to help
bring the rest of Canada on board.