Alberta is open for business and will stay that way, say most of the political parties contesting the upcoming Nov. 22 provincial election.

But across the political spectrum – from the Communist Party to the Alberta Alliance – how that business will be conducted will vary somewhat.

Brian Mason

When it comes to the oilpatch, a new regime could include a change in the current royalty system and a move toward greener technologies. Or it might result in further cuts in bureaucratic red tape and an increased role in cabinet for the small-business sector.

Even the oilpatch could be given back “to the people.”

For the three main political parties, Ralph Klein’s Progressive Conservatives, Kevin Taft’s Liberals and Brian Mason’s NDP, business issues have blended into a campaign battleground that has tended to focus on education, health care and the Heritage Fund.

Mark Norris

“As a government, we believe our role is to facilitate the best possible environment for business to set up and operate in Alberta,” says Mark Norris, the province’s minister of economic development, who is seeking re-election in Edmonton.

“The message we want to send is we know business drives our economy and we will do all we can to keep taxes low, keep regulations at a minimum and get out of their way and let them do what they do, which is create jobs for Albertans.”

The best thing any government can do for business is to provide it with the stable economic environment it needs to thrive, says Liberal leader Taft.

Naomi Rankin

“The Alberta Liberals believe strong, open and accountable government takes away some of that uncertainty and allows businesses to focus on their success,” he says.

“The Alberta Liberals are focused on balanced budgets for today, but also believe it’s time to start planning for our future. Our plans to work with industry and education partners will position Albertans to capitalize on new business opportunities.”

The NDP, meanwhile, points to reductions in the small-business tax rate, which it has supported, says party leader Mason.

“When it comes to corporate taxes, we would maintain the current level of corporate taxes, which would give Alberta the lowest corporate tax rate in the country,” Mason says. “We would certainly be very supportive of expanding job training and apprenticeship programs to make sure that we have an adequate supply of trained workers for Alberta industries.”

George Read

For the province’s other contenders, including the Alberta Party, Alberta Alliance, Social Credit, the Communists, the Green Party and the Separation Party of Alberta – all running candidates in at least some of the 83 provincial ridings – business issues are also a topic of wide-ranging debate.

Out of the limelight dominated by the traditional political Big Three, the new Alberta Alliance Party, positioned on the right of the political spectrum, says that as a believer in limited government and the free-enterprise system, it would head a government that “plays an appropriate role without overly burdening the energy industry with unreasonable rules and regulations.”

Party leader Randy Thorsteinson says he understands how difficult business is. “I understand the daily challenges we all face and I will work diligently to make sure government isn’t one of the problems we face,” he says, pointing to his expertise gained by operating four businesses with his family.

Bruce Stubbs

“What we would like to do is limit the involvement of government in business as much as possible – to reduce the bureaucracy and reduce the red tape, to lower the cost of government and pass on those savings as tax reductions for business and individuals.”

The Green Party, too, declares that it is committed to free enterprise.

“We are not right or left, we are forward, and what we’re interested in doing is transitioning to a green economy,” says party leader George Read. “We believe this will be a positive thing for business in Alberta.”

Kevin Taft

“We believe that overall green technology and green business is more cost efficient than traditional business and we would cite the example of British Petroleum, who transitioned to a Kyoto-compliant way of production and discovered that they actually made money on this transition because of the increase in efficiencies.”

Being “green,” adds Read, is not as expensive if a longer-term view is adopted. “Green methods of doing things are more efficient and cost effective over the long term. A green government would provide incentives to help companies get over the initial implementation hurdle for green technologies.”

On the oilpatch, Read said there is no intention of shutting off the oil tap.

“What we would like to see is a just transition from Alberta being an oil province to Alberta being an energy province and providing a number of energy options to the world,” Read says. “We believe that energy companies are already beginning the transition – there’s Shell Solar, Shell Hydrogen – and that we in the province of Alberta need to be changing our mindset to take advantage of this transition.”

Calling itself a grassroots organization designed to “protect and promote the best interests and freedoms of Albertans,” The Alberta Party would like a cabinet seat set aside to represent the interests of small business Alberta Party secretary Fred Schorning says the party would like to see government remove any impediments to the growth of small businesses.

Randy Thorsteinson

The party supports existing developments in the oilpatch, with the exception of how water is used.

“We would like to see less use of freshwater. Water is a precious resource,” says Schorning. “We would actively promote alternatives to the use of freshwater for deep-water (oilfield) injection.”

And then there is the Communist Party. Would an elected Communist government in Alberta paint the business landscape red?

“If by business you mean multinational corporations, monopolies that extract hundreds of millions in profit, what we plan to do is stop the tax deferrals and increase the royalties that they pay,” says party leader Naomi Rankin.

“If you’re talking about local businesses that produce value and employ people in Alberta, we expect they would benefit from the development of infrastructure and the improvement of the domestic market that will come from our policies about improving labour conditions, protecting the environment, funding health care, education and infrastructure.

“But it is not our policy to take tax money from working people and use it to subsidize guaranteed profits for big corporations.”

As for eventual nationalization in the oilpatch, Rankin says it’s a question of the relative political strength of the monopolies, as opposed to the people of Alberta.

“Would we do it within the next four years? We know we couldn’t. Is it a long-term goal? Yes. These resources are supposed to belong to us. That doesn’t mean anything unless we the people collectively control the investment and the development and the environmental impact,” she says.

The Alberta Social Credit Party and the Separation Party of Alberta did not respond to interview requests.

Meanwhile, the Big Three continue to duke it out over how they would best represent the interests of the Alberta business community.

The Liberals say they will implement a 10-per-cent provincial tax credit for expenditures on scientific research and development; give the technology industry a boost by implementing a 30-per-cent tax credit for qualified early-stage Alberta-based technology companies; and will immediately create a $150-million Alberta Technology Venture Fund to stimulate a venture capital industry in the province.

The NDP’s Mason says adequate levels of education and healthcare services are also critical to a healthy business environment. “They are important to maintaining the economic prosperity of our province,” says Mason.

The NDP proposal, which calls for a 40-per-cent surcharge on oil and gas royalties – but only on the portion of the price of oil that is above $25 US per barrel or the segment above $4 a gigajoule for natural gas – will not be a drag on the economy, vows Mason.

As far as the Tories are concerned, Norris says his government has “no intention whatsoever” of changing the current royalty structure.

“We realize the huge amount of capital required to set up and extract oilsands and we want to maximize the development of those sands,” he says.

The Liberals, for their part, say they believe success lies in the diversification of the energy sector.

They say they will stimulate investment in the commercialization of cleaner energy technologies through research and development tax credits and the previously mentioned technology venture fund.

(Laura Severs can be reached at laura@businessedge.ca)