Notes of the Remarks of Sandeep Dhir to the Edmonton…

           Notes of the Remarks of Sandeep Dhir to the
    Edmonton Manning Alberta Liberal Constituency Association
                       Nomination Meeting
                     Thursday, May 17, 2007
                  Londonderry Community Hall

                    Check Against Delivery




{E0455290.DOC;1}                                                1
Good evening. Mr. Chairperson; Alberta Liberal Leader Kevin Taft; Members of the
Legislative Assembly; Ladies and Gentlemen; Fellow Liberals; Friends All.


Thank you to my Nominator Paola Ruiz and my Seconder Eugene Rienks

Thank ­you also to Mark Razzolini, Edmonton Catholic School Board Trustee for this
Ward for his generous introduction. Mark's commitment to smaller classes and diversity
in teaching methods in our schools has made him a leader on the Board and in our
community. I am honoured to have his endorsement and his support.

Friends, if you will forgive the self-indulgence, allow me to acknowledge the presence of
some special guests.

Thank-you to my family; my parents and my in-laws for their love and support.

Thank-you to my friends, some whom have traveled some distance to be here tonight.

Thank-you to the Partners, Lawyers and staff of my law firm, Field. I am privileged to
work with a group of brilliant lawyers and staff. Their commitment to our clients and to
our community sets a standard of excellence. I am grateful for their support and for the
presence of so many of them here tonight.

There is an old saying "That the greatest gift one person can give to another besides their
love, is their labour." I want to acknowledge the all the effort, the commitment and the
personal sacrifice of time spent with family that my campaign team has made over the
past few months to make this night happen.

To George, Connie, Matt, Dan and the rest of the team: I am in awe of your skills and
talent. I am humbled by your support.

I spoke of labour and love. To my Partner and wife of 15 years; my best friend, Sandra
Rein. My life's journey simply would have no meaning without you.

And thank-you to all of you for being here tonight. Your presence is a testament to the
growing mood in our province for change.

Not a superficial change; like the changing of the guard that we witnessed in the recent
Tory leadership campaign, but real, fundamental change to the way that Alberta is
governed.




{E0455290.DOC;1}                                                                           2
Like all of you, I have grown more and more troubled by the absence of leadership by
this government. On the critical issues of the day, our government is able only to provide
platitudes and pays lip service to the concepts of "accountability" and "transparency."

On a host of fronts, it has become increasingly clear that this government has no plan.

Most recently, we have witnessed a debate over affordable housing and the dramatic
spike in rents for so many of our neighbours.

As a starting point, the fact that this issue has reached a crisis is proof that this
government has had no plan to deal with our booming economy.

In a growingly competitive and global market place, the Tories have staggered and
stumbled on auto-pilot.

Instead of using the levers of government to control and manage our economic growth;
the government has let the economy race ahead; without any strategy.

Rising rent and the lack of affordable housing are just one symptom of the failure to
manage the economy.

Now, in the case of rising rents, the government actually appointed a committee to study
the issue.

The committee studied the question; reviewed the competing options and came back with
a plan. The committee recommended temporary rent controls as a solution.

The government rejected the plan out of hand. Instead, they decided to limit landlords to
one rent increase a year.

The result was as inevitable as it is sad. And Albertans have paid the price ­ we now
have reports of rent increases of several hundred and in some cases over a thousand
dollars.

In reply, our Premier and his Minister expressed surprise and shock at the turn of events.
The Premier went so far as to call the conduct of certain unscrupulous landlords "un-
Albertan."

Let's be clear. He offered no solutions; no plan; just a vague promise that his Minister
would meet landlords privately for a discussion. Then he disappeared.

The recent rent debacle is just the latest example of the price we all pay for a government
that refuses to plan beyond winning the next election.




{E0455290.DOC;1}                                                                             3
And even when it gets a plan, in this case a Committee Report, it sacrifices the plan on
the Darwinian alter of survival of the fittest and a vague notion of the market adjusting
itself.

But it goes deeper than just a failure to plan;

This government is a government of fiscal mismanagement and fiscal irresponsibility.

Since 1971, when the Tories came to power, $220 billion in oil and gas revenue has been
collected by the government. Let me say that again: $220 billion.

Over 93 cents of each of that $220 billion has been spent and squandered the Tories.

There is an old aboriginal saying which I am sure you have all heard: "We do not inherit
this land from our parents; we borrow it from our children."

Albertans understand this concept. We work, we save and we plan for the future. And
our children's future.

Peter Lougheed understood this too.

After investing in our infrastructure, our schools, colleges and universities.

After investing in our health care system and in our roads and highways.

After investing in cities and in our towns, Premier Lougheed set up the Heritage Trust
Fund.

With foresight, Peter Lougheed anticipated that famous bumper sticker we all saw in the
80's: "Lord, please give me another boom, I promise not to waste it away again." Or
something close to that ­ "waste" might not be quite the word that was used.

Today, the famous "rainy day" fund has only $15 billion dollars in it. It has withered
away and been abandoned by successive Tory governments.

Now compare that to Norway who has $230 billion in its Petroluem Fund or closer to
home, Alaska which has $37 billion in its Permanent Fund and you start to see the picture
of a government that squandered our children's inheritance; our Province's future for
their electoral gains.




{E0455290.DOC;1}                                                                            4
Every time our children come home from school with another chocolate bar fundraising
drive or magazine sales drive, we are reminded that something isn't working.

Every time an Alberta family sits around the kitchen table and tries to figure out how they
are going to pay the rising tuition costs at our universities, colleges and technical
institutes, we are reminded that something isn't working.

Every time we wait for hours for emergency services at our hospitals; or read that most
family doctors in Edmonton won't take new patients, even as our city grows. Or drive
through towns with signs advertising for a doctor, we know that something isn't working.

Or recently, when we learned that there is a critical shortage of experienced Crown
Prosecutors, which is compromising the safety and security of all Albertans, we know
that something isn't working.

Every time we drive on our roads and feel the failing infrastructure under our tires, we
know that something isn't working.

In the recent budget, the government finally announced much needed spending for
infrastructure. But as Graham Thompson of the Journal noted, these expenditures are
going to cost Albertans an extra $1.3 billion because of the increase of costs in
completing the work.

If part of what's not working is revenues being frittered away by the Tories, the other
piece of the puzzle is lost revenue.

As an example, there has been some discussion of increasing the province's royalty rates
from oil and gas.

If we had simply matched the rates charged in Texas, hardly a radical socialist State, we
would have collected another $16 billion in revenues between 2000 and 2006.

So where was the plan? Where was the Premier and his Minister of Finance, Lyle Oberg
when these decisions were not being made?

Well, in fairness to the Minister of Finance, he did tell us that this was the way it was.
It was only a year ago, that he announced that there were "hidden skeletons" in the closet
of this government.

Everyone was fixated on what this meant for then Premier Klein. Was it the end of
Klein's leadership? Was it proof of divisions in the Tory caucus?

What was forgotten in all the smoke and haze, was that the skeletons we assume he
referred to dealt with the administration of our government. The "closet" in which these
problematic "skeletons" were hidden was the people's closet. This was the business of all
Albertans.



{E0455290.DOC;1}                                                                            5
This government's failures and Mr. Oberg's glib references to other secrets is
disconcerting because it tells us that the Premier and his Minister of Finance think that
accountability for the way they spend our money ends inside the offices of the Tory
Party.

What all of these examples highlight is that the Tory regime has become so arrogant in
power, so complacent in their right to govern, that they no longer consider themselves
responsible to any of us.

Their idea of a plan is give $400.00 in "Ralphbucks" to all Albertans and hope we won't
notice that they have betrayed the trust we placed in them to lead.

And I submit to you that this failure takes on moral dimensions when we consider the rise
of homelessness in our province. In Edmonton alone, homelessness has gone up over 19
percent in the past 2 years and there are now over 2500 people of who live on our streets.

Several years ago, the Mayor's Task Force on Affordable Housing declared the situation
in Edmonton to be a crisis.

As President of the Edmonton Inner City Housing Society and a member of the Board for
6 years, I heard monthly of the growing waiting lists of people needing our services.

I listened to the frustration of our staff who had to deal with the pain and suffering of our
neighbours.

I met some of our residents who explained to me that without the affordable homes we
had provided to them, they had been without an address and phone number to give to
prospective employers.

I was struck by how basic a concept this was. How could we expect these people to get a
job when they did not have a phone to accept the offer of employment an employer
would make?

I dealt with a government which did not seem to care and did nothing to address this
issue. Our Premier was silent then, other than a drunken foray to a shelter one night to
abuse those who could not defend themselves.

Over the past few days, as I reflected on what I wanted to say to you tonight, I thought
about the residents of the various Edmonton Inner City projects.

I thought about the 2500 others who don't have basic housing.

I remembered the motto of my law school is "fiat justitia" ­ quite literally, "let justice be
done."

I was reminded that the Hebrew word for charity is justice.



{E0455290.DOC;1}                                                                            6
I believe that a society is judged by how it treats the weakest; the most vulnerable of its
members.

If for no other reason, the Tories must be held accountable for their immoral betrayal of
the weakest members of our community.

Let me be clear. As Liberals we believe in a guarantee to opportunity.

We do not believe in a guarantee of outcome; but we believe that everyone has the right
to a fair chance of success ­ a right to participate in the so-called Alberta Advantage.

When people have nowhere to sleep in the dead of winter, they simply did not get that
fair chance. To leave people in this condition really is "Un-Albertan."

The Alberta Liberal Party's values are Alberta values ­ where hard work is rewarded and
all of us can expect basic fairness and justice.

I expected that the recent Tory leadership race would address these and other issues
facing the province.

Instead, the debate became focused on Ted Morton. Like many Albertans, I was
horrified at the thought of a Morton win.

Mr. Morton and his brand of conservatism represents a shallow, selfish view of the
world.

His preoccupation with whom individual Albertans live and sleep with speaks to a
troubling narrow-mindedness.

The fact that he is now a member of the Cabinet tells me that this government has further
strayed away from mainstream Alberta values.

I can't continue tonight without saying that while we must be respectful of all religious
beliefs, such religious beliefs must never be permitted to be used as a shield to defend
intolerance and bigotry.

Nor should such religious beliefs ever be allowed to influence public policy as a sword to
discriminate against a discrete minority.

Now, how do we address all of these issues?




{E0455290.DOC;1}                                                                              7
The first step is to take the issues out of the closet. To openly and honestly admit that
these skeletons exists.

That is the difference between the Alberta Liberals and the Tories. It is a difference
which can be measured in courage and confidence.

Under the leadership of Kevin Taft, Alberta Liberals have the courage to address the
various issues facing our province.

We have the confidence to say that we will not leave anyone behind; that we will not
break faith with the values that built the province and we will keep the promise to our
children and our grand children of a better Alberta.

We will manage the economy and make sure that all Albertans enjoy the benefits of our
good fortune.

We will ensure that our schools; our universities and our colleges receive the funding
they need to deliver the quality of education our students deserve.

We will ensure that tuition fees and money never again become the reason that all
Albertans can't strive for their dreams.

We will ensure that the health care system ­ a model for the world ­ is never again
compromised to the point where people see queue jumping ahead of their neighbours at a
private clinic as their only option.

We will keep the faith with our seniors who remember the Depression and the reality of a
medical bill which bankrupted families and we will never again allow the dangerous
creep of user fees.

We will provide affordable, accessible child care for all Albertans so families never again
have to choose between the children they love and the jobs they need.

We will keep the promise made by Peter Lougheed 36 years ago, that the Alberta's
economy ­ 50 percent of which is dependent on oil and gas ­ will finally be diversified
so that or children and grand children can enjoy the same prosperity that we have.

We will challenge the world with support for cutting edge technology that makes Alberta
a global leader in the new economy.

This research and development will engage the environment ­ which quite plainly is this
generation's great challenge ­ and pursue sustainable environmental technologies.

And we will stop once and for all the foolish questioning of overwhelming scientific fact
­ global warming is real and unlike this government we will not ignore it anymore.




{E0455290.DOC;1}                                                                            8
We will take our rightful place as a leader in Canada and speak for national objectives
and national standards.

Confident that the new Alberta does not need to blame a 25 year-old policy as proof of a
central Canadian conspiracy; we will lead in the now and give voice to our commitment
to the Canadian project.

36 years ago, Peter Lougheed went to Albertans with a simple proposition. He argued
that Albertans should receive a fair royalty return for our oil and gas.

He said that Albertans deserved a competent government which could manage the
complexities of the economy of that time and plan for the future.

The Social Credit government had been power for 36 years and was complacent and out
of touch.

Mr. Lougheed's slogan then was simply "Now."

36 years later we find ourselves at a similar juncture in Alberta's history. Peter
Lougheed's criticisms of the Socred government can be applied with equal justice to the
Tory government.

The parallels between 1971 and now are striking. The choice between the Parties is clear
and the stakes could not be higher.

Over the next few months I plan to door knock in Edmonton Manning and talk about
these issues.

For the first time, in a long time, there is a real opportunity for change.

The riding of Edmonton Manning will be closely contested in the next election, and I
need your help.

Albertans want a responsible and competent government. After 36 years its time for a
change and I'm ready. NOW.

Thank-you.




{E0455290.DOC;1}                                                                           9