Randy Boissonnault, minister of employment, workforce development and official languages, speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about Jasper recovery, Canada-U.S. relations and Indigenous ancestry claims.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Michael Higgins: You’re the federal government’s lead on the Jasper recovery grant program. How far should that actually be expected to go in in helping those businesses rebound?
Randy Boissonnault: There’s $3.5 million, it’s going to go to about 320 businesses in the Jasper townsite, but also in the park, and half a million dollars that’s going to go to Jasper tourism.
Let’s deal with that second piece. First, we need people to come back to Jasper, full stop. So any of your viewers that are wondering whether they should or shouldn’t come to Jasper, the answer is, please come. (Restaurateur) Mike Day literally said, ‘Please come to Jasper and ski five times a week and buy your skis here and stay in the lodges and eat in …