As in the early 1980s, oil and gas is the flashpoint between Ottawa and Alberta. The only headquarters this government is passionate about preserving are the ones named SNC and located in Montreal, apparently. Robson Fletcher's work for CBC Calgary focuses on data, analysis and investigative journalism. 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. Let me ask: if you lived in a country where a plurality believed resource royalties more properly belonged to the nation as a whole rather than the province, how tempted would you be to save it? Where Alberta only feels they are close with Saskatchewan. 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. from Ottawahe has been lambasted as a politician attempting to stoke that sentiment for his own political gain. What I do predict is that the Wexit leaders currently fronting Facebook pages will be discredited. and about $18,000 less than in Quebec. Or: If they need revenue, why don't they have a sales tax? Landlocking ourselves through separation is not a solution, he said. That's a Federal Government problem, not an Alberta/Quebec problem. 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? Fred Youngs was a journalist for CBC News in Winnipeg, Calgary and Toronto. For now, Ill pass. Part of it is a surname that reminds Albertans of a profoundly painful economic calamity at the hands of a previous Liberal government, one that was perceived to be out of touch and arrogant, and they sense the same thing today. How much are these payments Alberta is making? 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. From a purely environmental perspective the arguments used against the oil sands can be deployed against these, too. Jean admits as much in his article, saying hed rather work with other provinces to fix the program. That was enough to attract the support of eight MLAs from the province. Kenney created a "war room." Do you stuff your piggy bank if you dont trust your parents not to knick it? 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. Forty years and another Trudeau later, Albertans feel they're still on the outside looking in at a moment when their future is under siege. So if the PM 'forgets' to mention Alberta in his speech, can we 'forget' to send equalization payments? Here, we answer common questions and dispel some myths about the most resilient Alberta bogeyman. Why are Albertans so mad? Pundits based in Toronto have responded to the last month's federal election results by offering reams of opinions explaining to Albertans why their current predicament is entirely their own . Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings. 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. Having just won a commanding mandate from the province by articulating many of its lingering grievances, he can make a uniquely credible case for Canada. The province therefore needs real voice and power in Ottawa today, as Ontario and Quebec have. 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. No province can unilaterally strip the equalization principle from the Constitution, and the referendum threatens to expose a discontent with Confederation that it cannot possibly relieve. and. But how many people does this actually represent? The polling, drawn from an online survey of more than 4,000 Canadians across the country who are members of the Angus Reid Forum, a group of survey respondents, also says that a primary criticism from residents in Alberta and Saskatchewan, is that they dont benefit in proportion to whats provided to the rest of the country, as discontent over equalization payments bubbles up. All of this will be used as proof of the underlying logic of Wexit: that the liberal East looks down at you while it takes your wealth. 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. | CBC News Loaded, Fred Youngs doesn't claim to be a sage, but on one particular subject, he's the go-to guy among his neighbours in the "905.". 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 puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. But it may also provide a pressure valve for separtist sentiment. Hate hate hate hate. What would happen to Quebec and Canada if Quebec separated? All rights reserved, It's silly to say that all people in one province have strong feelings about all people in another province. But on one particular subject, at least amonga small group, I am the go-to person. To paraphrase a proverb, screwing is in the eye of the beholder. Once your province has cultivated a reputation for being a redneck backwater, well, thats a hard one to break. This is typically expressed by income percentile, and those at the very top pay by far the most, per person. This province continues to offer high quality services and low taxes that keep it in thrall to resource royalties that are long gone and likely never coming back. Me: Forget about it. RELATED:Why Jason Kenneys proposed referendum is so puzzling. The differences are largely aesthetic and emotional. And it should have sufficient funds say, $500 million a year to make an impact on the ground in that province. Another interesting discovery from the survey was what appears to be Alberta taking the reigns as the most resentful province in the country. There is a militancy to some of Wexits language and memestalk of civil war, for exampleand pictures of men in full military garb, that could foreshadow something darker and more violent. DATA NERD. A new poll released by theAngus Reid Instituteseems to have found the answer to Canada's most disliked province. What the institute found was that many provinces saw a kinship with their border-sharing neighbours though there were a few exceptions. I have no doubt that Wexit is siphoning some of the far-right populist fuel that keeps websites like Reddit and 8Chan blinking with discontent well into the early morning hours on weekdays. Whats more, Ottawa needs to be on the ground in Alberta in a way it hasnt been before, and it must be seen by Albertans to be making policy changes in Albertas interests. You can even find embryonic western separation movements cropping up in the comment sections of news stories about the equalization program. Instead, they recall Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer, who addressed the convoys rally in Ottawa, allegedly speaking at the same event as racist alt-right personality Faith Goldy. Receive direct access to our top content, contests and perks. Whether it's the place you grew up or a place you simply love to visit, every Canadian definitely plays favourites. Canadians entertained racist thoughts they wouldnt speak in public. RELATED:The answer to Justin Trudeaus Western cabinet problem. The hostility is mostly in Alberta and Saskatchewan, unsurprising, given Premier Franois Legaults comments in December that theres no social acceptance for a pipeline that would pass through Quebec territory. Just one per cent of Albertans and two per cent of Saskatchewanians feel Quebec is friendly towards their province. 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. And 77 per cent of Albertans say that Saskatchewans a friend; 75 per cent of them reciprocate that feeling. More is needed this time around. The differences in fiscal capacities among the provinces have narrowed since that time, yet this escalator has pushed up overall program costs from about $14 billion in 2009 to nearly $19 billion this year. More than 77 per cent of Albertans gave the thumbs-down to . Quebec Premier Franois Legault. If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, unlimited online access is. On the other end of the spectrum, about 950,000 Albertanshad incomes of less than $25,000. Tax burden lowest in Alberta, Saskatchewan: Conference Board of Canada, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. 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 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. Would this restore the "Alberta tax advantage" of the Klein era? Sorry, PEI. But neither has Trudeau done much to ease fears or restore trust. Click or tap on the drop-down menu to change income levels and see how much in provincial income tax you would pay in each province. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. Justin Trudeau speaks on Canada Day. That assumption emerged from Quebec's past attempts at an independence referendum. A similar kinship was seen between the Atlantic Province, though Alberta was also in the mix as one of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundlands favourite. We could go back in time, to the National Energy Program, to 1905, to Frederick Haultain, to the doomed province of Buffalo; to the railways, the crow rate, and the robber barons of the East. It's the politicians that are the problem, B.C. A year later the Trudeau Liberals unveiled the infamous National Energy Program (NEP). The movement will probably be riddled by alt-right wannabes, conspiracy theorists, and anti-immigration zealots. Are you considering a Move to Alberta? Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. That makes Alberta the best province, from an income-tax point of view, to be living on low income. Originally published on Policy Options November 1, 2019. 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. The Road AheadisCBC Calgary's special focus on our city as we build the city we want the city we need. is Canadas favourite province, but not because of the people, poll finds, Top smartwatches to sport: Great options to track your fitness, Laurent Duvernay-Tardifsets sights on what's next, Top performing coffee grinders for the perfect morning cup, EXCLUSIVE: Vitamix introduces FoodCycler turning food waste into plant food, 5 high-performance blow dryers for all hair types, tap here to see other videos from our team. I have written before about the particular folly of Kenneys promise to hold a referendum on equalization, an exercise that will provide Albertans with little more than theatre.
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