Statement from Ian Hopfe on Appointment as Deputy Leader and Critic for Jobs, Economy, Trade, & Immigration
I’m honoured to serve as Deputy Leader of the Green Party of Alberta and as Critic for Jobs, Economy, Trade, and Immigration.
I step into this role as someone who has worked inside Alberta workplaces supporting small businesses, repairing toxic work environments, and helping organizations build stronger, more sustainable teams. I have seen firsthand how economic policy decisions affect real people, real families, and real communities.
Alberta’s economic challenges are not abstract. They show up as:
- Young people struggling to enter the workforce,
- Skilled newcomers unable to work in their fields,
- Small businesses facing instability and uncertainty,
- Workers experiencing burnout and declining job security, and
- An economy exposed to global volatility and overdependence on oil revenue.
The Green Party believes Alberta deserves an economy that is resilient, fair, and sustainable.
As Critic for Jobs, Economy, Trade, and Immigration, my focus will be:
1) Good Jobs That Last
Economic success must mean stable, well-paid work that allows people to build a life here. Workforce sustainability, retention, and training must be priorities, not afterthoughts.
2) Fair and Functional Immigration Policy
Alberta must stop wasting talent. Efficient credential recognition, ethical labour standards, and meaningful integration pathways are essential to economic strength.
3) Accountability for Public Investment
If public dollars are used for grants, incentives, or tax credits, Albertans deserve transparency and measurable public benefits, including job quality, wage growth, and environmental responsibility.
Alberta’s economy does not exist in isolation from our democratic institutions, our schools, or our families.
When labour rights are undermined, when classrooms are destabilized, or when rights protections are weakened, it affects workforce confidence, long-term productivity, and our province’s social cohesion.
When child poverty rises, and families face mounting pressure, that is not only a social issue, it is an economic one.
And when our provincial finances remain highly exposed to oil price swings and foreign shareholder profit extraction, that is not resilience, it is structural risk.
As Deputy Leader, I will work collaboratively with our Interim Leader and my colleagues in the Shadow Cabinet to ensure our economic vision is integrated with our commitments to ecological wisdom, social justice, participatory democracy, and respect for diversity.
Our goal is not opposition for its own sake. It is to offer Albertans credible, practical alternatives rooted in stability, fairness, and long-term sustainability.
Alberta can build an economy that works for people and for the future.
—
Ian Hopfe
Deputy Leader
Jobs, Economy, Trade, and Immigration Critic
Green Party of Alberta