Comments on energy sector from NDP candidate raise ire of United Conservatives

By The Canadian Press on May 12, 2023.

OKOTOKS, Alta. – The United Conservative Party is demanding an apology from an NDP candidate for comments he made in a 2021 book about Alberta’s energy sector.

“Wild Roses are Worth It: Reimagining the Alberta Advantage” by Livingstone-Macleod candidate Kevin Van Tighem is described as a collection of provocative, personal and thoughtful essays.

UCP Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre candidate Jason Nixon says that in the book Van Tighem calls Albertans angry, entitled rednecks and resource exploiters.

Nixon says Van Tighem also compares the province’s energy industry to slavery and energy workers to slaves.

Van Tighem, who is also a conservationist, says in a statement on Twitter that “everybody’s insights evolve.”

He says Albertans rely on oil and gas and the province needs to maximize its value for the economy.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2023.

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