Eleven thousand jobs lost as UCP fail to control COVID-19

According to the latest data, Alberta’s unemployment rate increased to 11.1 per cent – second highest in the country. (Pixabay photo)

EDMONTON – Job figures released by Statistics Canada show 11,000 jobs were lost in November as Premier Jason Kenney and his UCP government fail to get a second wave of COVID-19 under control.

According to the latest data, Alberta’s unemployment rate increased to 11.1 per cent – second highest in the country. Meanwhile, Calgary and Edmonton have the highest unemployment rates in the country among the major cities.

“There is no credible way Jason Kenney can continue to claim that he is somehow protecting the economy by refusing to take action to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said NDP Critic for Economic Development and Innovation Deron Bilous. “The UCP’s lack of action and unwillingness to support workers and small business means that hundreds of thousands of Albertans have lost their jobs without any help from their Premier.”

Alberta continues to set daily records for new cases and has the most active cases in the country. Recent media reports also uncovered that the UCP government is planning on bringing in field hospitals to handle the surge of patients as hospitals reach capacity.

According to Statistics Canada, Manitoba and Saskatchewan also lost jobs – two provinces experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases. Economist Trevor Tombe noted the correlation between job losses and the number of COVID-19 cases in a tweet on Friday.

“It’s time for Jason Kenney to wake up. If we don’t get the virus under control, the virus will destroy the economy and we will see even more job losses in the coming months,” said Bilous. “We can protect the health of Albertans and the economy. By doing so, we can get through this second wave together and come out stronger on the other side.”