Article content continued

The inquiry will “follow the money trail and expose all of the interests involved,” uncover whether any laws have been broken and recommend policy actions where appropriate, Kenney said.

“If this inquiry helps us stop this campaign, it will be well worth the investment,” added Schweitzer.

But while Allan will be able to compel witness testimony within Alberta, he won’t be able to do so in the U.S. or other Canadian jurisdictions, where his abilities will be limited.

Photo by Jim Wells/Postmedia

NDP House Leader Deron Bilous said Kenney was “going on a fool’s errand trying to hire someone to do a glorified Google search.”

“This fool’s errand also has no ability to compel anyone to come from outside of Alberta to come to Alberta,” Bilous said. “What the premier’s trying to do is change the channel on his abysmal record thus far as far as job creation. What Albertans want to see are jobs created. They don’t want to see a glorified witch hunt.”

Bilous said the inquiry won’t help Alberta expand its market access or build pipelines.

“Giving a year timeline to come back, what the premier’s doing is trying to set up a scapegoat or someone to blame in a year from now for this government’s failure to create jobs and fill the office towers in Calgary.”

It’s unclear what policy actions could arise following the release of Allan’s report.

Kenney said his government would look to create legislation banning foreign money in provincial elections through third-party campaigns. It would also challenge the charitable status of groups that exceed spending limits on political activity.

More than anything, he said Allan’s report will be used to inform Canadians.

“And then Canadians can make their own democratic choices about whether they’re comfortable with American billionaires effectively killing Canadian jobs,” he said.

shudes@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @SammyHudes