Hardly a week went by at the end of 2015 where we didn't hear of layoffs at some of the major players in the energy sector.

Foothills member of parliament John Barlow says those layoffs are felt all the way down the line.

"I know a welding company here in High River that has laid off all of his welders, he is just trying to keep his head above water with his line of credit, but there's probably hundreds of those small businesses that rely on that industry and when it's struggling they're struggling and when they're struggling our small communities are struggling," Barlow says. "You just can't expect every other business to pick up the slack, we're just not there yet."

Barlow says when parliament resumes sitting January 25 he'll be working to address the government's response to the economy, especially the problems here in Alberta.

"We are going to be looking for the federal government in partnership with the provincial government here to try and make some adjustments to their programs and their policies to bring back some confidence in Alberta's energy industry," he says. "Everybody that we've spoken to say they will invest in Alberta, they can work in Alberta if they understand, if there's a clear cut structure in place and right now there isn't."

From January 20 to 23 he'll be in Calgary with other Alberta MPs and party members as they prepare for the sitting and the federal Conservative leadership convention in the spring in Vancouver.

Questions, comments, or story ideas? Email us at news@okotoksonline.com