EDMONTON – Alberta’s UCP government has announced a sweeping plan to increase the size of Alberta’s VHS industry in an attempt to give the ailing province a much needed economic boost.
“For too long, the nation’s VHS industry has had to deal with a lack of confidence from policy makers coupled with onerous government regulation,” Premier Jason Kenney said while announcing the province’s new magnetic tape-based economic strategy.
“Alberta is committing to removing the red tape which has held those black tapes back for so long. Alberta’s VHS producers are vital to creating a bright and prosperous future for our province in which everything will be exactly like it was in the 1990s.”
VHS (Video Home System) was the standard home video viewing medium for decades and while demand is currently at a historic low point, the government of Alberta is confident that the VHS industry will bounce back stronger than ever given the right combination of government subsidies, aggressive pro-tape legislation, and magical thinking.
“Just because demand for a product has already peaked and an industry is considered increasingly obsolete by every major economics expert is no reason not to bet a province’s future on it,” Kenney said, proudly showing off a row of new made-in-Alberta VCRs and camcorders.
“If Betamax and LaserDisc couldn’t destroy VHS, I think it’s clear nothing can.”
The heavy VHS push is being called shortsighted by the provincial NDP, who when they were in power adopted a more well-rounded approach of continuing to offer massive government support for VHS while also subscribing to Netflix.
