CALGARY — Alberta’s minister of finance has revealed his department is preparing a financial analysis of what an independent Alberta could look like for taxpayers, arguing citizens need more information to make a decision on leaving Canada.Minister Jason Nixon told Courtney Theriault on a recent episode of the radio host’s show that while he personally believes in “a strong Alberta in a united Canada,” it is also important that “we in the finance department show clear numbers to Albertans as they're having this conversation.”.Nixon added that recent conversations around the independence question have felt a little “one-sided.”“I do think Albertans are craving information, and they're now being asked to make a democratic decision about a pretty important topic,” he said.“It's important for me that they're able to see the best numbers that we can get them, and so one of my first tasks has been to instruct the Department of Finance to do some work on that. We'll have more to say about it in the next couple weeks.”The comments came after Theriault noted that Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) and Stay Free Alberta CEO Mitch Sylvestre had repeatedly promised to release “a white paper showing their accounting” to make the case for independence. .On the official APP site, Sylvestre’s group has stated that Alberta’s GDP per capita has consistently outperformed the Canadian average.“In 2019, Alberta’s GDP per capita was approximately 26% higher than the national average,” the website reads.“Sovereignty would allow the province to leverage its economic autonomy to further enhance its residents’ prosperity.”The APP site goes on to state that Alberta contributed $22 billion to the federal budget in 2020 and that “sovereignty could redirect this fiscal imbalance to foster local industries, innovation, and infrastructure projects, potentially transforming Alberta into one of the most economically dynamic regions in North America.”When Theriault asked Nixon if Alberta would instantly become more prosperous outside of Confederation, the minister stated that he didn’t think that was “a very accurate statement.”“We need to show what this would actually cost. Starting up a new country isn't cheap,” he said.“I don't think anybody who stops and thinks about that would be able to realistically say that.”Calculating the exact costs would be complex, according to Nixon, and any serious conversation about independence would have to consider the financial impact of establishing new institutions and government systems.“Anybody who's presenting that this would just automatically happen with little financial impacts, I don't think they are actually being very accurate or fair about what that process would have to look like,” he said.
