Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to address immigration in province-wide speech

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she will discuss immigration in a province-wide televised address Thursday after online comments by a senior staffer criticized mass immigration.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she will address immigration in a province-wide televised address on Thursday evening. The announcement came after online comments by Bruce McAllister, the executive director of the Premier's office in Calgary, that criticized what he described as "unsustainable mass immigration into Canada." Smith linked rapid population growth to rising expenses and said she will outline more in the address. Federal Transport Minister Steve MacKinnon publicly defended the federal government's immigration approach while in Calgary. Key points: - The premier will speak to Albertans on immigration in a province-wide televised address Thursday at 6:45 p.m. on Global Television. - Bruce McAllister posted online that "unsustainable mass immigration into Canada" fills him "with profound disgust," and questioned importing from "nations with failed systems." - Smith said Alberta added about 600,000 people in the past four years and that expenses have been growing faster than revenue. - Transport Minister Steve MacKinnon said the federal system focuses on needed skills and has helped build the country and the province. Summary: Smith announced she will begin a public conversation about immigration in her televised address, linking population growth to fiscal pressures ahead of the provincial budget. The address is scheduled for Thursday evening at 6:45 p.m. on Global Television. Officials on both provincial and federal levels have publicly stated their views; further developments will follow the premier's address.