You may have heard by now the divisive comments made by NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair a few weeks ago. In a CBC radio interview he blamed the oil sands for artificially inflating the Canadian dollar, causing the decline of the manufacturing sector in Ontario and Quebec. Mr. Mulcair and the NDP are trying to pit Canadians against each other instead of supporting sectors of the economy that create good, high-paying jobs. He has gone as far as to refer to the oil sands as a “disease” on the rest of the Canadian economy. I along with our Conservative Government believe that Thomas Mulcair has it wrong when it comes to the oil sands and the Canadian economy. When we have a strong resource sector, as we do in Alberta, then we see manufacturers all across the country – including Ontario and Quebec – profit from it. In fact, just last week, Statistics Canada released its latest national job growth numbers indicating that 58,200 net new jobs were created in March. The gains were largely in the private sector, manufacturing and in full-time positions. This takes the total net new jobs created since July 2009 to over 750,000 (90% full-time jobs and over 80% in the private sector). Our Conservative Government continues to remain focused on what matter most to Canadians – jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. Economic Action Plan 2012 takes responsible action to support the economy now and over the long-term, while keeping taxes low and returning to balanced budgets. In Economic Action Plan 2012, we are taking strong action to improve conditions for business investment and supporting responsible resource development in our great country. Through such measures as: modernizing the regulatory system to realize the objective of “one project, one review,” strengthening pipeline safety, and increasing access to support for business innovation, our Government is ensuring Canada’s economic advantage in the resource sector remains strong today and in the long-term. Our Government has also undertaken the most ambitious trade expansion plan in Canadian history, opening new trade agreements with countries around the world. We understand that Canadians’ standard of living and future prosperity depend on growing trade and investment. To this end, we are continuing to actively pursue new trade and investment opportunities, particularly with large, dynamic and fast-growing economies. During this time of global economic uncertainty, we need a government that embraces and supports our natural resource sector through responsible development. Canadians can’t afford Thomas Mulcair and the NDPs dangerous economic experiments with our natural resource sector that will kill jobs and hurt the working families of our community and those right across our great country. - Honourable Tim Uppal, P.C., M.P. Minister of State for Democratic Reform Member of Parliament for Edmonton-Sherwood Park