CALGARY – With 1 in 6 people utilized by the oil and gas industry out of work, the country’s largest drilling association has launched a campaign to get the attention of federal and provincial politicians.
Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors president Mark Scholz said Wednesday that 100,000 people directly and indirectly employed by the gas and oil industry have finally lost their jobs.
He told reporters you may still find 500,000 people whose tasks are supported directly or indirectly through the oil and gas industry, and is contacting those workers C and supportive people across the nation C to sign petitions the CAODC has launched that call on politicians to support pipelines.
We aren’t asking for a government handout, but we’re requesting a genuine discussion and we’re requesting respect to have an industry that has done this much to make Canada the very best country in the world
The job loss estimates from the CAODC are up sharply from previous industry estimates of 40,000 positions, but Scholz said they are pulled directly from Statistics Canada.
Statistics Canada data show Alberta’s unemployment rate rose above the national average the very first time in 28 years in January, when it hit 7.4 percent compared with the national average of seven.2 per cent.
Calgary’s unemployment rate climbed even higher, to 7.6 percent, while the unemployment rate in and around the oilsands boomtown of Fort McMurray hit nine percent in January.
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Distributing bumper stickers emblazoned using the words “Oil Respect,” the CAODC is planning a cross-country speaking tour contacting Canadians and politicians to aid the making of new pipelines and asking Canadians to show their support for the industry.
The organization also launched a new website that features stories of people who have forfeit their jobs in oil and gas and are now struggling to pay their bills.
“We are not requesting a government handout, but we are asking for a genuine discussion and we’re requesting respect to have an industry that has done so much to create Canada the very best country on the planet,” Scholz said.
Scholz stopped short of stating that other industries C like the automotive and manufacturing industries C have more support in the federal government, but mentioned that the oil and gas market is the largest in Canada.
“Annual revenues in 2014 were $150 billion dollars however in 2015 revenues were reduced to $90 billion, which would function as the same as losing the whole auto sector from the Canadian economy in just one year,” he explained.
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