CALGARY — Standing under a banner of the federal NDP leader, Calgary Centre candidate Dan Meades insisted Thomas Mulcair’s divisive comments about the province’s oilsands aren’t on voters’ minds heading into the Nov. 26 byelection.

Meades told reporters Saturday the so-called Dutch disease is an “abstract idea” that doesn’t resonate in the inner-city riding.

“It isn’t what the people of Calgary Centre are talking about,” Meades said, at an event to mark the launch of his campaign.

“We care about oilsands development that’s going to benefit all of us in all of the ways that it can.”

The New Democrats have come under fire in Alberta since Mulcair contended the province’s booming energy sector inflates the Canadian dollar and hurts the country’s manufacturing industry through a phenomenon dubbed Dutch disease.

“Lots has been made about what Tom Mulcair said about oilsands development,” said Meades, a longtime anti-poverty advocate in the city.

“We first need to think about how our communities are doing and what it means to have a strong country.”

For the next five weeks, Meades said he wants to discuss values, personal and family aspirations and building strong communities with Calgarians.

“Instead of talking about parties, instead of talking about left and right — let’s talk about ideas,” he said.

But fellow candidates in Calgary Centre said Meades must sleep in the bed his party has made.

“I think Dutch disease is a priority for the NDP, which happens to be the candidate’s party,” said Conservative candidate Joan Crockatt. “He’s going to need to own that.”

Liberal candidate Harvey Locke said Meades would be mistaken if he thinks Albertans have a short memory.

“People are quite conscious of what Mr. Mulcair said, and I think people don’t like it,” Locke said. “I don’t like it.”

Meanwhile, Green party candidate Chris Turner said the viability of the energy industry should be on everyone’s mind.

“The biggest liability the industry faces is the possibility that, due to lax federal oversight and increasing image problems, that it comes to be seen not as a valuable resource but as a curse, which it simply is not,” Turner said.

bweismiller@calgaryherald.com