The Alberta government has passed a motion calling for the education of Albertans on exactly what they are paying in Equalization payments to the rest of the country..Bill 507 was proposed by Red Deer South UCP MLA Jason Stephan and will include telling Albertans how much they subsidize the Canada Pension Plan..“As Albertans grow in awareness of the massive, unfair subsidies and taxes they are paying, the more accountability they will require from government in respect of those costs,” Stephan said..“Canada is spending itself into oblivion; marching towards bankruptcy, dragging Alberta down with it. Canada is rudderless; at a worst possible time; under the control of individuals out of their depth..“Since 1961, Alberta families and businesses have contributed more than $600 billion into the Canada partnership; while Quebec took more than $476 billion from it.”.Stephan noted the Quebec benefits from having the state-owned Hydro Quebec which delivers customers low cost electricity. He said those low rates have led to Quebec having the highest rate of personal swimming pools, other than Florida, in North America..“Quebec is not a tropical paradise; its swimming pools are a function of Quebec Hydro selling its power at deep discounts to Quebec residents. As Quebec Hydro artificially sells its hydro power at deep market discount to Quebeckers, it is reduces Quebec’s income and fiscal capacity, thereby increasing equalization payments from Alberta families and businesses,” Stephan said..Speaking in support of the bill, Banff-Kananaskis MLA Miranda Rosin said it’s “ludicrous” the amount of money Alberta has paid in Equalization to Quebec allowing their governments to run “surpluses with Alberta’s money.. POLL: Many Albertans say they will ignore Christmas COVID lockdown .Rosin, a member of the Alberta Fair Deal Panel, said between 2007-2018, Alberta put $240 billion into the Equalization program. She said that worked out to $57,000 per Albertan..“There’s nothing more Albertan than a common distaste for Equalization,” Rosin told the Legislature..“We deserve to be treated better in this federation.”.In terms of a possible made-in-Alberta pension plan, Stephan said Alberta business and workers contribute $3 billion yearly more than they are getting out of the CPP..He said an in-house Alberta pension plan would be a “game-changing competitive advantage.”.The bill eventually passed by a vote of 30-7, with neither Premier Jason Kenney nor NDP leader Rachel Notley present for the vote..Kenney has said Albertans will have a say on Equalization in a provincial referendum..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
The Alberta government has passed a motion calling for the education of Albertans on exactly what they are paying in Equalization payments to the rest of the country..Bill 507 was proposed by Red Deer South UCP MLA Jason Stephan and will include telling Albertans how much they subsidize the Canada Pension Plan..“As Albertans grow in awareness of the massive, unfair subsidies and taxes they are paying, the more accountability they will require from government in respect of those costs,” Stephan said..“Canada is spending itself into oblivion; marching towards bankruptcy, dragging Alberta down with it. Canada is rudderless; at a worst possible time; under the control of individuals out of their depth..“Since 1961, Alberta families and businesses have contributed more than $600 billion into the Canada partnership; while Quebec took more than $476 billion from it.”.Stephan noted the Quebec benefits from having the state-owned Hydro Quebec which delivers customers low cost electricity. He said those low rates have led to Quebec having the highest rate of personal swimming pools, other than Florida, in North America..“Quebec is not a tropical paradise; its swimming pools are a function of Quebec Hydro selling its power at deep discounts to Quebec residents. As Quebec Hydro artificially sells its hydro power at deep market discount to Quebeckers, it is reduces Quebec’s income and fiscal capacity, thereby increasing equalization payments from Alberta families and businesses,” Stephan said..Speaking in support of the bill, Banff-Kananaskis MLA Miranda Rosin said it’s “ludicrous” the amount of money Alberta has paid in Equalization to Quebec allowing their governments to run “surpluses with Alberta’s money.. POLL: Many Albertans say they will ignore Christmas COVID lockdown .Rosin, a member of the Alberta Fair Deal Panel, said between 2007-2018, Alberta put $240 billion into the Equalization program. She said that worked out to $57,000 per Albertan..“There’s nothing more Albertan than a common distaste for Equalization,” Rosin told the Legislature..“We deserve to be treated better in this federation.”.In terms of a possible made-in-Alberta pension plan, Stephan said Alberta business and workers contribute $3 billion yearly more than they are getting out of the CPP..He said an in-house Alberta pension plan would be a “game-changing competitive advantage.”.The bill eventually passed by a vote of 30-7, with neither Premier Jason Kenney nor NDP leader Rachel Notley present for the vote..Kenney has said Albertans will have a say on Equalization in a provincial referendum..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
