Didnt he buy you a pipeline?. We have provincial governments who have got our backwere not isolated. It was a move that produced nothing but recrimination. Canadians feel about our greenhouse-gas intensive lifestyles. If each of your parents are of 2 ethnicities, do you wind up with one of each or are you a quarter of each? I wouldnt be surprised to see Wexit morph, in the national subconscious, into a fever dream of white nationalist uprising. Jason Kenney, the premier of Alberta, does not get such an easy ride. The latter is perhaps worse, though there is recent precedent for it. Its Albertas fault that it has no one at the table in Trudeaus cabinet. If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, unlimited online access is. Forty-four per cent of Quebecers consider Ontario a friend, but just 12 per cent of Ontarians feel that way about Quebec. There is an attempt, here, to prise the iron-grip loyalty of the crowd, not just from the country, but from the conservative voting habits that have sustained the province for generations. From the usual short-fused social media users to conservative leaders, its not hard to find anger in Alberta about equalization payments. Email us at:calgarytheroadahead@cbc.ca. This is not, you know, a nation thats sort of unified across a cohesive confederation but one that very much seems to be sliced and diced into regional blocs, said Kurl. So if the PM 'forgets' to mention Alberta in his speech, can we 'forget' to send equalization payments? A similar kinship was seen between the Atlantic Province, though Alberta was also in the mix as one of New Brunswick . The other big part of the story is the resentment of Alberta, which is also especially significant in terms of Albertans feeling not particularly close to any province other than Saskatchewan, said Shachi Kurl, executive director of the Angus Reid Institute. More than 77 per cent of Albertans gave the thumbs-down to . Like I said, I feel like it is deeper then the pipeline and the transfer payment so I wanted to know the point of views of Alberta. At his rally, Downing anticipated this: Someone called us the Bloc Rednecois and thats okay. Equalization is one of many federal transfer programs. And because the money comes out of general federal revenue, theres no way for Albertans to stop funding it short of refusing to pay their taxes. Unlike people in the rest of the country, who were subject to progressively higher tax rates that increased with income, Albertans paid the same rate a flat 10 per cent regardless of how much money they made. A party that treats its major industry as a font of dark oil money funding the Conservative party and a network of sympathetic media outletsa position no less cynical or conspiratorial than the anti-communism hysteria generated in the West. Daily Hive is a Canadian-born online news source, established in 2008, that creates compelling, hyperlocal content. Its a sign of open disrespecteven war, in some places. One change Kenney seems to want is the exclusion of non-renewable-resource revenues from the formula used to calculate Equalization. After spending more than a decade reporting from Alberta, I have to confess that Im tired of trying to explain western alienation to the East. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. We arrived in Calgary well after the devastation of the National Energy Program, but we heard our friends' stories of lost jobs, lost houses and lives lost to suicide. RELATED:The rise of Albertas unapologetic petro-patriots. RELATED:Why Jason Kenneys proposed referendum is so puzzling. Most people in Quebec are rather indifferent about the people in the rest of Canada. Read more about cookies here. The program intends to make sure provinces are providing comparable services across the country, but more often it is a political talking point. It's the politicians that are the problem, B.C. Jason Kenney is not Albertas Ren Lvesque. The differences are largely aesthetic and emotional. Me: Forget about it. But it may also provide a pressure valve for separtist sentiment. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. But when people think of taxes, they often think first of income tax. Unsurprisingly, the number of residents who say their own province is relatively high, but Alberta is recognized as receiving a raw deal by significant numbers of Canadians, the report says. Much ire is directed at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. You are either with Alberta or you're against it. And that's where many people might be surprised about Alberta. From a purely environmental perspective the arguments used against the oil sands can be deployed against these, too. If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, unlimited online access is. If you forget about us, tweet after tweet from Alberta read, perhaps well forget about our payments to the equalization program. God help any federal leader whos trying to campaign on a united message because this is not a country that is feeling united.. Yet Alberta isnt passing legislation like Bill 21, which would bar members of the public service from wearing religious garb. Are you considering a Move to Alberta? The oil price crash that continues to weigh on the economy was no politicians fault. This year, about $18 billion will be doled out to Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba, with $11 billion going to Quebec alone. The Ontario group, formed in fall . Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. An earlier version of this story didn't factor in the abatement on federal taxes that Quebec income-tax filers receive. Please attribute the author(s) and mention that the article was originally published by Policy Options magazine. It will take at least that much to contain Alberta alienation after this election outcome. That and more apparently qualifies me in the eyes of friends and family to explain Alberta. Why are Albertans so mad? With lower prices, the two provinces take in less revenue and so receive more equalization money. The UCP government (and the NDP) need to face facts, Trudeau hates Alberta! The protestors themselves, patch workers with little experience in political organization or communications, lacked the common sense or discipline to eject such people. The data definitely aligns with many Canadian's belief that Quebec is not particularly interested in the rest of Canada or engaged with the country. My personal favourite is the do-they-really-believe-that question, as in: Do Albertans really believe that the Liberals would spend $4.5 billion to buy a pipeline only to kill it? Rather it seems like a chain of "unrequited love in different parts of the country" according to Shachi Kurl, the executive director of the Angus Reid Institute. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. More than a generation ago, Pierre Trudeau opted for a conventionalapproach to this dilemma. No one in Alberta appears overly. Once again, Albertans are going to see their own grievances reflected back at them through warped glass. Here's total per capita federal transfers to prov govts for 2016/17. His papa hated Alberta and the apple didn't fall far from the tree. The rate increases further, maxing out at 15 per cent on income above $307,547. They look ugly. If you view the province as a collection of regressive hicks whose only claim to wealth is that they were lucky enough to be born on valuable dirt, then it becomes very easy to decimate that wealth. (Can't see the chart? CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. Whether youre private sector, public sector, labour, youre the workers, youre immigrants, Indigenous communities again, for people from tight-knit communities, people who have to work three extra jobs, three extra jobs, and they get to keep more of their own money. We lived through the Klein years, the population surge, and the rise of an Alberta-based prime minister. Whether Alberta should return to a "flat tax" on income has been the subject of debate recently. Originally published on Policy Options November 1, 2019. Jean admits as much in his article, saying hed rather work with other provinces to fix the program. At that point, Albertans pay about $1,200 more in provincial income tax than their neighbours to the west. Could Alberta pull off a full-blown boycott of Quebec? With apologies to Anne McLellan, who was tapped to be an informal advisor on Alberta to the Liberals, this lack of representation seems solely a concern to people who live in Ontario. There are a variety of factors to consider, The Eco 5 launches in Canada today reduces volume of food waste up to 90 per cent, The best in budget-friendly, lightweight and dual-action hair dryers, 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Its even chillier in New Brunswick, where just 13 per cent return Quebecs affection (40 per cent said they felt close with their neighbour). Narcity Media Inc. Quebec is getting no love in this recent study that shows which provinces Canadians love and hate the most. The gap between Alberta and B.C. Most Albertans love Montreal, and many comment about how all the women are beautiful. Worryingly, from a national unity perspective, Canadas least favourite province is Qubec, the poll found, Top picks for different budgets, brands and other preferences. And its lead grows from there. Get email updates from your favourite authors. It seems like a more benign entity now for being merely opportunistic in its pursuit of an ever-better deal for Quebec. Ottawa isnt going to give a bunch of rednecks a fair hearing, or a fair deal. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Would this restore the "Alberta tax advantage" of the Klein era? Even Facebook online. You can even find embryonic western separation movements cropping up in the comment sections of news stories about the equalization program. He left the CBC earlier this year. The green left has been leading a campaign to landlock our energy. As if he needed the boost. This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Alberta governments of every stripe love talking about the "tax advantage" in this province. When regional development agencies were created in the late 1980s, the intent was for them to focus on have-not regions. Off the top, separating from Canada seems like a very bad idea. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Absolutely. The province therefore needs real voice and power in Ottawa today, as Ontario and Quebec have. In the interim until the Liberals can elect someone in Alberta one of the Liberal MPs from either Manitoba or perhaps the Territories could be an acceptable cabinet minister. That said, other provinces arent super keen on each other either, highlighting a cantankerous confederation. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Ontario isn't friendly, Alberta resents everyone else and nobody likes Quebec: poll, Florida Panthers refuse to sell tickets to non-U.S. residents as Leafs move to second round, FIRST READING: The evidence against Trudeau's claim he didn't 'force' vaccination, Who is Alexandre 'Sacha' Trudeau? Quebec Premier Franois Legault. Albertans were the largest proponent to their province getting the short end of the stick by being a part of the country though both Ontario and Saskatchewan thought the same about their own home turf. So, between a government they hatenot dislike, but hatea slump in oil prices, real challenges attracting investment, and a sense that Quebec, Ontario and B.C. Trudeau bought the TMX line though the purchase offered absolutely no electoral benefit to himself or his party. The government of Canada notes that there is one circumstance in which it is proper to display the flag inverted: as a symbol of distress. Goldy had showed up uninvited and offered her own rants from a cherry-picker located a block away from the main stage. B.C., along with the other two most popular provinces Quebec and Ontario, feels isolated: 43 per cent of British Columbians say they dont feel any other provinces are close or friendly, that number is 41 per cent in Ontario and 30 per cent in Quebec. Not because I am some political seer, but because I know where Bridgeland is in Calgary, how glorious Kananaskis is, and how treacherous Highway 2 can be in the winter. Returning to the Klein-era flat tax would not change any of this, other than to increase the "tax advantage" already enjoyed by the richest Albertanscompared to other provinces. Alberta calls Ontario the "center of the universe" then proceeds to claim its the entire driver of the Canadian . As if he needed the boost. The West wants out.. Kenney claims Equalization has become unfair to Alberta. At best, it may prove to be a kind of political harm-reduction strategy, a pressure valve for separatist sentiment. The reason for the negative reviews about Quebec according to the poll is due to an average of only 5% of Canadians believing that the province is "close with or friendly" to the province they reside in. Hate is an understatement. I don't pretend to have answers or solutions. I'm not often taken for a sage, someone whose thoughts are sought on matters of great import or complexity. One for $20, or three hats for $50, they came in a variety of colours, reading Wexit and Make Alberta Great Again and The West Wants Out.. That's a matter of political debate. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. A recent article in Vice noted that Downing, a former soldier and RCMP officer, had a history as a far right conspiracy theorist. Its hard to glean whether these are ambitious political organizers or keyboard warriors with delusions of grandeur. Still, the Atlantic provinces absent Prince Edward Island because the sample size was too small consider each other friends. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Monday morning, we are going to file our applications with Elections Canada for the official registration of Wexit Canada.. A rule that made sense a decade ago, when Canada was in recession, might not make as much sense today. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Nearly 40 years ago, in February 1980, Pierre Trudeau won a majority government with two seats in western Canada and none west of Manitoba. But then so did Brexit. If Trudeau wants to listen to the grievances of the West, he can pick up the phone and talk to anyone he likes. Not only are Canadians surprisingly willing to throw theirleast favourite province under the bus, but it seems that a lot of Canadians also share the same feelings. The median individual income was $41,770. The 40 per cent of earners above them paid 28.7 per cent of the tax. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Fred Youngs was a journalist for CBC News in Winnipeg, Calgary and Toronto. Sign up for our newsletter and get a curated list of the top Chief among them is Trudeau's Senate policy, which is founded upon nonpartisanship in the upper chamber, with no Liberal Senate caucus and no senators in the cabinet. They do not include Medical Services Plan premiums in B.C., which are collected separately.). The top one per cent ofearners paid 31.5 per cent of the total income tax collected in Alberta that year. He appointeda number of senators from the West into his cabinet as ministers and ministers of state, to represent the interests of those provinces lacking Liberal MPs. RELATED:The answer to Justin Trudeaus Western cabinet problem. All rights reserved, He should try making that case in Calgary. Alberta alone is still Alberta landlocked, and the solution won't be south of the border, because pipeline politics can be as tangled there as they are here. There is a perception in the rest of Canada, outside of Quebec, that Quebecers are not close, are not interested, are not engaged, with the rest of the country.. Didnt he buy you a pipeline? But the bust was inevitable and predictable. It's Albertans in the middle who don't fare as well, as you can see from the interactive chart below. Or perhaps you, too, would opt to squander your wealth with, uh, high quality educational and health services and low taxeswhich has been the unwitting economic diversification strategy of Albertan governments since the 90s. A friend described everyone from Ontario as assholes. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He was senior producer and executive producer for CBC Newsworld (now CBC News Network) in Calgary from 1991 until 2006. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Unsurprisingly, Alberta landed at the top of that list, followed by Saskatchewan. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney meets Trudeau on Parliament Hill in May. Whether Alberta should return to a "flat tax" on income has been the subject of debate recently. We've helped lots of families relocate and we'd love to help you too! Their taxes would be lower stillif the province were to revert to its flat tax system. Naturally, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba all stuck together, with Alberta and Saskatchewan seeing the closest bond of all provinces at 75% and 77% of respondents viewing the other province as especially close. Alberta's basic personal tax credit now stands at $18,915, meaning Albertanseffectively pay no income tax to the provincial government on income up to that level. he big difference between 1980 and today is that Alberta is a much larger player in the Canadian economy and in our national life than it was then. Finance Canada recently completed a review of Equalization but the government refused to make any substantive changes to the formula. The United Conservative Party, meanwhile, recently endorsed a return to a flat tax. trending stories every day. Kenneys hostile handling of the environment file, his abandonment of Rachel Notleys consumption-based carbon tax and climate-change strategy risks riling the very green activists who had previously been appeased. Nevertheless, Trudeau should consider putting Equalization on the agenda of the next First Ministers Meeting to try to resolve some of these long-standing frictions and forge a stronger consensus on this key instrument of fiscal federalism. The Road AheadisCBC Calgary's special focus on our city as we build the city we want the city we need. That subject is Alberta, and ever since the election and shutout of the Liberals in that province, family, friends and casual acquaintances have been asking variations of this: What's with Alberta? (Of those, about 57,000 earned more than $250,000.). The Albertans truly believe that Quebec is the succubus province of the entire country. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Our family lived in Calgary for more than 15 years before moving back to Ontario. So, what do they ask? week that it would move its headquarters from Calgary to Denver. One thing I have noticed is that people criticize Alberta a lot. Ginned up, the crowd chants: The West wants out. Shut down the oil sands and avoid the much harder questions about why they exist. For one, its enshrined in the constitution that the government is committed to the principle of making equalization payments. Its tough to get around that. We get to keep the $50 billion in taxation we send to Ottawa for nothing, nothing good except their noses up and their thumbs down on us, he says. Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account. When you watch the . And what consideration is owed to a pack of hard-luck deplorables? Theyre a scapegoat, a channel for all the guilt and anxiety that we Canadians feel about our greenhouse-gas intensive lifestyles. From a purely environmental perspective the arguments used against the oil sands can be deployed against these, too. The rally began with a presentation that heavily implied that Canada is on the verge of a communist takeover; that the environmental movement is a front for a communist plot to establish some kind of one-world government. But even if the province reverted to its old system, most Albertans would still pay more than . Super Bowl-winning athlete talks football, his medical career and the importance of skin care. Bernier said this practice makes the provinces look poorer than they actually are and games the system. Western Diversification is mandated to support economic diversification but also acts as an important advocate for regional interests in Ottawa, both within the bureaucracy and, usually, through a responsible minister at the cabinet table. In his failed bid for the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservatives, MLA Richard Starke said the province had to stop offering charity to the rest of the country when it had fiscal problems at home. And it is undeniable that Alberta is ponying up more money than it receives from the feds and it certainly receives less than other provinces. I have only a few observations. I can't stand Harper. 2023 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Another interesting discovery from the survey was what appears to be Alberta taking the reigns as the most resentful province in the country. Robson Fletcher's work for CBC Calgary focuses on data, analysis and investigative journalism. And thirdly, I would say we have allies across Canada. These richest Albertans also pay alarger share of the total income taxes collected in Alberta, compared to the wealthiest people in other parts of the country. The idea was overwhelmingly approved by members of the newly formed party at their first annual general meeting. What the institute found was that many provinces saw a kinship with their border-sharing neighbours though there were a few exceptions. While Ontario and B.C. The phrase "Alberta tax advantage" figured heavily into thebudget introduced by Ralph Klein's government in the year 2000, which made income-tax reform a key plank. Thus began the modern era of Alberta alienation. These are people who fret about the climate crisis and what it bodes for their children. For merely bringing up the fact that separatist sentiment in Alberta is on the risea trend apparent years before he returned to Midnapore from Ottawahe has been lambasted as a politician attempting to stoke that sentiment for his own political gain. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While Albertans making $25,000 a year pay the least income tax in the country, the picture changes as you approach $50,000. Through its advocacy role with other departments in Ottawa, the agency could bring a distinct Alberta voice to many important issues, at various levels of discussion and decision-making. If you earn $250,000 a year, you'll pay about $4,000 less in Alberta than in B.C. But how many people does this actually represent? Its invariably about which person will send the right message to a particular province or regions citizens to convince them that they will be heard in Ottawa. No doubt some attendees were shocked by the sight of an upside down flag at the front of the room. Seventy-one per cent of those in New Brunswick, for example, look fondly at Nova Scotia and 51 per cent of those in Newfoundland and Labrador look at Nova Scotia as a friend. Albertans hated his father. If youre not from here, youre just an Alberta-phobic racist anti-Western bigot, he said at his rally. and about $18,000 less than in Quebec. There are various reasons why this approach either won't work or won't suffice this time around. The point isnt to deny that kooks and racists live in Alberta, nor to litigate which province is most racist, but rather to note that the stereotype serves a particular political function. Through propaganda, many Albertans have come to see oil as part of their identities and it has led them to resist the diversification of their economy and adequate social safety nets, which is creating a feedback loop where the higher the unemployment and the worse their economic woes are, the more they blame liberals/leftists, the federal The Green Party will definitely never look after us and now we see the Conservatives dont have our best interests in mind, said rally speaker Ambrose Ralph. In an election year, said Kurl, the complicated Canadian family makes it difficult for any party leader to campaign on a unified message. It isnt calling for a values test for new immigrants. But in the end, I tell them, it is a telling example of Albertans' belief that their economic might, their enterprise and their hard work have again been taken for granted by a Liberal government that promised to be different, open and inclusive. But on one particular subject, at least amonga small group, I am the go-to person. DATA NERD. Finance Canada recently completed a review of Equalization but the government refused to make any substantive changes to the formula. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY. More than 700 people arrived at the event in Edmonton to hear a few speakers extol the benefits of Western separation.
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