Natalie St. Hilaire and Randy Royer examine the flow of federal taxes and transfers out of Alberta and ask how much the current system is really costing Albertans. Royer estimates the total impact could reach as much as $45 billion a year through equalization, employment insurance, CPP contributions and federal taxing and spending.
They also look at how Pierre Trudeau’s 1982 Constitution shaped Canada’s transfer system, why Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C. remain major contributors, and whether reforms to equalization, pensions, interprovincial trade and federal spending could leave more capital in the West. The discussion also explores whether Canada’s economic structure is holding Alberta back and what could be done to change it.
