Finance critic Derek Fildebrandt wants Alberta's finance minster to step down over "gross financial mismanagement."



Between the province's five credit downgrades and a forecast $94-billion debt hole by 2020, Fildebrandt accused Joe Ceci of leading the province into financial ruin.



"His very presence sends a poor signal to markets," Fildebrandt said Monday.



Ceci said Fildebrandt doesn't have a point "at all" about assertions of poor fiscal management.



Alberta is going through the most significant recession in a generation, Ceci said, losing significant revenue from non-renewable resources.



"But we’re not going to subject (Albertans) to the problems in our economy like previous governments have done," he said.



Fildebrandt admitted any government in charge of Alberta right now has been dealt a tough hand of cards, but said it's how one plays that hand that counts.



"It's a tough set of circumstances, but they're not even trying," he said.



Using the same card-dealing analogy, Ceci countered that the NDP is handling the province's finances just fine.



His government will not cut billions in services, Ceci said, because it would prolong the recession.



egraney@postmedia.com



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