Smith says the world should value Alberta’s leadership
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
174.79533
Summary
Learn English with Alberta s new premier, Rachel Notley. Alberta s population is on pace to surpass 5 million people in the next 24 months, and by 2050, it could be the second largest province in the country with a population approaching 10 million people.
Transcript
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Alberta has not reached the peak of our provincial journey or prosperity. Just the opposite.
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Our province is in the midst of Alberta's century. Alberta is growing faster than at
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any time in our history. Hundreds of thousands of new and wonderful people are intentionally
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choosing to call this province home each year. And as we surpass 5 million people in the
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coming 24 months, our province and government must set our priorities and guide our work
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through the lens of understanding that by 2050, if we continue at this rate, our province
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could well be the second largest in the country with a population approaching 10 million people.
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Now think about that. I can assure you these newcomers are coming here for the same reason
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people have always come here, to experience the Alberta advantage. I meet new Albertans
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all the time and I can tell you that those moving to our province possess the same strength
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of character and vision of those that built Alberta into the incredible place that it
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is today. They are entrepreneurs and builders. They believe in family and personal responsibility.
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They want law and order and to build strong communities. They are our people. They are Albertans.
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And let me say this, we must reach out and welcome them so they know that they have a warm and
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inviting home in this province, in this government and in this party.
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But all of this growth presents both incredible opportunities and massive challenges for our
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province. It means that our economy will be one of the strongest in the world for many decades.
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It means that all the technology and growth to build flourishing new industries and transforming
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and growing established ones will occur right in our front yard. It means massive infrastructure
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improvements and new recreational and entertainment opportunities that will build our quality of
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life and our culture for decades. But it also means significant challenges, born out of high
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growth and economic activity. And our government and this party must face these challenges head
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on. Together, we must commit to building an Alberta that will be the envy of the world for decades,
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that will become the best and brightest, that will welcome the best and brightest people in the
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world for decades. And Alberta that will lead this country for the rest of this century.
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The time to build and grow and lead is now. And as our government commences our four-year
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term in office, I want you to know what we are focusing on to accomplish this. We will focus
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on keeping Alberta affordable for families and businesses as we grow. We will do that by lowering
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your personal income taxes by $750 per taxpayer or $1,500 per family.
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And we've just introduced Bill 1, the Taxpayer Protection Amendment Act to guarantee there will
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be no increases in personal or business taxes in this province without approval by Albertans
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in a referendum. Our government will focus our efforts and those of our municipalities on
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finding creative solutions to massively increase construction of new houses for sale and rent
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so that Albertans can find homes that fit their budgets. Over the coming months, our government
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will also work with industry and consumers on a package of reforms to our electricity system
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to ensure Albertans have access to much more affordable and reliable power, and to support
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a power grid that will need to more than double its capacity in the coming decades to allow
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for high population and economic growth. And when our government lifts the freeze in the
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new year on auto insurance, we will also be implementing a series of reforms to limit increases
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to premiums for drivers who have safe driving records, as well as other changes to assist insurers
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in keeping premiums much more reasonable and competitive with the rest of the country.
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And our ability will continue to be a top priority as we build Alberta and welcome new families