A Trudeau-appointed senator said figures released in an analysis report on the Alberta Pension Plan (APP) “seem absurd” and doubts Albertans will “buy into this disinformation,” reported Blacklock’s Reporter. The report from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s administration claimed 58% of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), more than $330 billion of the plan’s current $590.8 billion, would be transferred to the APP.Speaking Wednesday on a senate motion to scrutinize Smith’s proposal to opt out of the CPP in favour of a provincial one, Ontario Senator Donna Dasko, who is a former executive with the polling firm Environics Research Group Ltd., said the math doesn’t add up.It is “incredible” that anyone would believe the Government of Alberta claims about its share of the CPP, said Dasko and dismissed the costs. “Is there any evidence Albertans will buy into this disinformation about these figures? They are so incredible that who would ever believe them?”“As we know, if something is told over and over again it may well be believed by the public. Do you have any sense that Albertans might actually come to believe these kinds of numbers which of course seem absurd to me?”On August 1, the Alberta government issued the report, called Alberta Pension Plan Analysis Of Costs, Benefits, Risks And Considerations, outlining the factors adding up to the $330 billion. “Due to Alberta’s younger population, higher pensionable earnings and higher employment rates, contributions by Albertans to the Canada Pension Plan have historically exceeded the benefits paid to Alberta,” said the report. Alberta Senator Paula Simons, who sponsored the motion asking for independent analysis of Alberta’s figures said the provincial government “has been engaging in an extremely sophisticated messaging campaign to try and speak to Albertans and explain why they think an Alberta pension plan is viable.” “Albertans have been told they will have a chance to vote in a future referendum on the establishment of an Alberta Pension Plan. But how can they make an informed decision?”Canada’s Chief Actuary is currently calculating the Alberta share of the Canada Pension Plan. A report is expected by the end of 2024. On November 15, the Parliamentary Budget Office said it would complete its own analysis as a matter of “particular significance.” This report is also due at the end of the year. “I am requesting a custom tabulation that includes historical contributions to the Canada Pension Plan by province and territory, age, sex and year, and historical Canada Pension Plan benefits attributable to contributions in each province and territory by year,” wrote Budget Officer Yves Giroux.The Department of Social Development in a September 22 briefing note called Alberta Pension Plan said any Alberta withdrawal from the national pension scheme was legal with three years’ statutory notice. “While there is a legislative framework in place for a province to leave the Canada Pension Plan it has never been done before,” it said.
A Trudeau-appointed senator said figures released in an analysis report on the Alberta Pension Plan (APP) “seem absurd” and doubts Albertans will “buy into this disinformation,” reported Blacklock’s Reporter. The report from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s administration claimed 58% of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), more than $330 billion of the plan’s current $590.8 billion, would be transferred to the APP.Speaking Wednesday on a senate motion to scrutinize Smith’s proposal to opt out of the CPP in favour of a provincial one, Ontario Senator Donna Dasko, who is a former executive with the polling firm Environics Research Group Ltd., said the math doesn’t add up.It is “incredible” that anyone would believe the Government of Alberta claims about its share of the CPP, said Dasko and dismissed the costs. “Is there any evidence Albertans will buy into this disinformation about these figures? They are so incredible that who would ever believe them?”“As we know, if something is told over and over again it may well be believed by the public. Do you have any sense that Albertans might actually come to believe these kinds of numbers which of course seem absurd to me?”On August 1, the Alberta government issued the report, called Alberta Pension Plan Analysis Of Costs, Benefits, Risks And Considerations, outlining the factors adding up to the $330 billion. “Due to Alberta’s younger population, higher pensionable earnings and higher employment rates, contributions by Albertans to the Canada Pension Plan have historically exceeded the benefits paid to Alberta,” said the report. Alberta Senator Paula Simons, who sponsored the motion asking for independent analysis of Alberta’s figures said the provincial government “has been engaging in an extremely sophisticated messaging campaign to try and speak to Albertans and explain why they think an Alberta pension plan is viable.” “Albertans have been told they will have a chance to vote in a future referendum on the establishment of an Alberta Pension Plan. But how can they make an informed decision?”Canada’s Chief Actuary is currently calculating the Alberta share of the Canada Pension Plan. A report is expected by the end of 2024. On November 15, the Parliamentary Budget Office said it would complete its own analysis as a matter of “particular significance.” This report is also due at the end of the year. “I am requesting a custom tabulation that includes historical contributions to the Canada Pension Plan by province and territory, age, sex and year, and historical Canada Pension Plan benefits attributable to contributions in each province and territory by year,” wrote Budget Officer Yves Giroux.The Department of Social Development in a September 22 briefing note called Alberta Pension Plan said any Alberta withdrawal from the national pension scheme was legal with three years’ statutory notice. “While there is a legislative framework in place for a province to leave the Canada Pension Plan it has never been done before,” it said.
