Banff  - Airdrie MP Blake Richards believes the proof is in the pudding and it's time for the Federal Government to step up.

With close to 62 per cent of voters in favour of removing the equalization section from the Constitution, Richards says it’s time for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government to "actually listen."

"Now the ball is squarely in Prime Minister Trudeau’s court," says Richards. "He has the opportunity to show that he recognizes the inequity that Alberta is facing and to respect Albertans."

Alberta voters were also asked to choose three senators-in-waiting, and out of 13 candidates, three Conservative Party of Canada candidates received the most votes.

Richards says that with two soon-to-be-vacant Senate seats for Alberta, "Trudeau needs to act immediately to appoint elected representatives chosen by Albertans rather than imposing his own will with his own hand-picked unelected appointments."

Richards says that the province is at a critical time of post-pandemic economic recovery and he strongly believes that unleashing our oil and gas sector needs to be a priority for the government.

"Albertans are proud of our energy sector, and let it be known in the federal election that we want policies that to get our energy to market," says Richards. He goes on to express his lack of faith in the Prime Minister. "Unfortunately, we have seen the Prime Minister once again set on a course to vilify Canada’s energy sector by choosing radical anti-oil activist Steven Gullbeault as his newest Minister of Environment."

Richards calls the move a hostile signal to the energy sector which he says not only sustains mass employment in Alberta but contributes "billions of dollars into the Canadian economy each year."

The MP has launched a petition in his ongoing efforts to advocate for Alberta. He's asking all Albertans who agree that the province "needs to demand respect from the federal government" to sign it.