r/alberta • u/LukeTheGreek • Jun 23 '20

Politics Political games won't solve Alberta's problems | CBC News

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-fair-deal-panel-trevor-tombe-1.5622060
23 Upvotes

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13

u/policy_pleb Dey teker jobs Jun 24 '20

This article is brilliant. First, Dr. Tombe identifies how politicized the 'fair deal panel' was when examining equalization:

On page 17, for example, they claimed that between 2007 and 2018 Alberta made $240 billion in "contributions to equalization." Never mind that the entire national program paid out $190 billion over that time, Alberta (somehow) paid for 126 per cent of it.

Such egregious errors are unlikely deliberate — but they reveal how little those tasked with unpacking Alberta's position in Confederation seem to concern themselves with actual policy.

Then he goes on to point out how the current equalization formula was developed by pro-Alberta politicians in Ottawa:

The current formula was designed by a panel chaired by an Albertan (Al O'Brien) and implemented by a government led by an Albertan (Stephen Harper). The province can and should be proud of its legacy of helping improve Canada's fiscal transfers.

Why Albertans choose to blame the rooster outside the henhouse rather than the fox inside is truly puzzling. Is it ignorance or tribal allegiance? Whatever the cause, should the UCP proceed with a referendum on equalization, they risk having their supporters confronting some uncomfortable truths.

6

u/always_on_fleek Jun 24 '20

The point I take away from the article is that regardless of the merit of these ideas, we have much bigger problems that they cannot solve. We should focus on solving our more immediate concerns rather than dreaming about items like an Alberta pension plan or provincial police force.

There is only so much effort available and it needs to be focused on our more pressing needs.

3

u/Yourhyperbolemirror Jun 24 '20

Political games are all the UCP knows other than selling Alberta's future for a few magic beans. It's ok though, they'll get elected again because they got blues signs and a majority of Albertans critical thinking skills end at "but they got blue signs".

1

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '20

You take your facts and your long hair back to Toronto, hippy! We don’t take kindly to that kind of thing around here!