When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Joignez-vous aux dbats dOptions politiqueset soumettez-nous votre texte en suivant cesdirectives. For example, Alberta pulls in about $1,388 per capita, while Nova Scotia gets $3,243 per capita in federal transfers. 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. Worryingly, from a national unity perspective, Canadas least favourite province is Qubec, the poll found, Top picks for different budgets, brands and other preferences. So I suppose its not surprising that a convoy that left Alberta as a protest about pipelines arrived in Ottawa as a white nationalist vanguard. 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 . The Edmontonian spent nearly 30 years driving trucks all over Ontario and Alberta before coming to terms with what he called his "shame." "Some people, like, come out of college, university, they . 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. Would this restore the "Alberta tax advantage" of the Klein era? Unsurprisingly, Alberta landed at the top of that list, followed by Saskatchewan. 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. Jason Kenney is not Albertas Ren Lvesque. The modern era of Alberta alienation began under Pierre Trudeau. The 40 per cent of earners above them paid 28.7 per cent of the tax. Premier Jason Kenney has become one of the most hated leaders in modern Alberta history, according to a new poll by ThinkHQ. As you can see from the interactive graph below, Alberta's highest-income earners carry a higher proportion of the tax burden than those in Ontario or Canada-wide. So did Donald Trump. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. You can even find embryonic western separation movements cropping up in the comment sections of news stories about the equalization program. The gap between Alberta and B.C. Since moving I quickly realized that Albertans are far less friendly than Ontarians. Alberta's income tax 'advantage' exists for the poor and the rich, but not those in between | CBC News Loaded. But, middle-income Albertans who account for the bulk of the population pay more than those in Ontario and B.C. At his rally, Downing anticipated this: Someone called us the Bloc Rednecois and thats okay. I feel like people in Qubec do not like the rest of Canada, especially Albertans. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay, Rex Murphy and others. Attendees line at the bar to put their names and addresses to paper so Wexit can collect the necessary minimum 250 signatures required to start a new federal political party. 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. What's the deal with Alberta? No one in Alberta appears overly. A case can therefore be made that the escalator should be changed to reduce the growth rate of this implicit transfer from have provinces like Alberta to have not provinces like Quebec. The starting point could be the creation of an Alberta Economic Development Agency, as distinct from Western Diversification, the existing federal agency that covers all of western Canada. Does it even need to be fixed? It should have a board of directors made up of eminent Albertans. I really believe at heart most Albertans are patriots, he said in a press conference delivered the day after the federal election. If these statements seem insufficiently pro-Canada, I cant help but contrast the treatment Kenney gets to that of Yves-Francois Blanchet, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois. 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. bothered by it. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. The median individual income was $41,770. Goldy had showed up uninvited and offered her own rants from a cherry-picker located a block away from the main stage. To this day the NEP retains mythic status in Alberta as the example of a central Canadian project inimical to Albertas economic interests. 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. We are going to do for Western Canada, and Alberta in particular, what the Bloc Quebecois does for Quebec. Or, at the very least, to greet the crisis playing out in this province with smug contempt. What's even more surprising is that 21% of Quebecers actually agree! Fred Youngs was a journalist for CBC News in Winnipeg, Calgary and Toronto. 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. Though overall if the data shows anything, it's that there aren't any two provinces that outwardly share the same love for each other. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. That's quite a broad generalization! A similar kinship was seen between the Atlantic Province, though Alberta was also in the mix as one of New Brunswick . Get email updates from your favourite authors. Ontario came a distant second, and the Atlantic provinces landed third overall. If we want to discuss politics, that's another situation altogether. 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. Much ire is directed at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Equalization is one of many federal transfer programs. The second: Do they really think leaving would solve the pipeline dilemma? 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. That's a Federal Government problem, not an Alberta/Quebec problem. Daily Hive is a Canadian-born online news source, established in 2008, that creates compelling, hyperlocal content. Source:National Post,Angus Reid Institute. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. A rule that made sense a decade ago, when Canada was in recession, might not make as much sense today. Pundits based in Toronto have responded to the last months federal election results by offering reams of opinions explaining to Albertans why their current predicament is entirely their own fault. About 178,000 people in Alberta reportedindividual incomes of $150,000 or more in 2015, the most recent year for which detailed data is available. (Please note, if you will, that everything east of Manitoba is considered the East to me.). Email: tdawson@postmedia.com | Twitter: tylerrdawson. Turning that question on its head saw respondents pointing out the province that they felt was giving more than it got by being a part of Canada. The idea was overwhelmingly approved by members of the newly formed party at their first annual general meeting. 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. They do not include Medical Services Plan premiums in B.C., which are collected separately.). All of this will be used as proof of the underlying logic of Wexit: that the. St. Joseph Communications uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. Could Alberta pull off a full-blown boycott of Quebec? More than 700 people arrived at the event in Edmonton to hear a few speakers extol the benefits of Western separation. As if he needed the boost. In an opinion article for the Calgary Herald, Alberta Wildrose Party leader Brian Jean said people constantly come up to him and ask him if the province could withdraw from the equalization program. And what consideration is owed to a pack of hard-luck deplorables? Finally, there's one question that's not random, rare or fantastical: Why do so many Albertans so viscerally loathe Justin Trudeau? But the fact that it gains any traction at all is a telling sign of the fear, frustration and anger in Alberta. Most Albertans love Montreal, and many comment about how all the women are beautiful. The transformation that took place while it was travelling across the Prairies was so complete that few now remember that the convoy was not some kind of white nationalist uprising. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. 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. 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. The equalization program has been changed often, with some minor tweaks and some major overhauls. 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. 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. More than 77 per cent of Albertans gave the thumbs-down to . Finance Canada recently completed a review of Equalization but the government refused to make any substantive changes to the formula. Confederation is hopelessly broken. Canada's right-wing extremist movement is a motley crew of white supremacists, anti-government "sovereignists" and pro-militia crusaders who, despite being disorganized and prone . 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. We have enabled email notificationsyou will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. I know it is the oil culture that people dislike but whenever something crappy happens there, people make fun of the entire province. This was brought in as part of the "flat tax" system that Klein introduced and has been maintained to this day, with increases for inflation. It may follow the doomed and creepily fascistic, Western Canada Concept led by lawyer Doug Christie, who made a name for himself in the 80s by defending anti-semites and neo-Nazis. Theyre a scapegoat, a channel for all the guilt and anxiety that we Canadians feel about our greenhouse-gas intensive lifestyles. And its lead grows from there. Note: This article has been corrected to reflect that Pierre Trudeau appointed multiple senators from the West to his cabinet. Please reach out right away and we can start ma. When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau forgot to mention Alberta during his Canada Day speech on the weekend, some aggrieved westerners reached for a familiar response to a slight from the East. You are either with Alberta or you're against it. When Kenney pins this decline on Trudeau, the East is not wrong to be a bit baffled. Tax burden lowest in Alberta, Saskatchewan: Conference Board of Canada, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. Theyre a scapegoat, a channel for all the guilt and anxiety that we. The Alberta agency should be headquartered in Calgary, the heart of the provinces business community. READ MORE:Justin Trudeau's Current Approval Ratings Are In And Here's Which Province Hates Him The Most. These are people who fret about the climate crisis and what it bodes for their children. I know what an oil boom feels like, and how it feels when it goes bust. (For those interested in the nitty-gritty details, these calculations include both the high-income surtax and the health premiums charged in Ontario as part of the income-tax system. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Perhaps the bigger issue with the program, however, is a rule established in 2009 by the Harper government, of which Kenney was a senior minister that links the growth rate of the transfer to nominal GDP. We ask that you follow these guidelines. It's silly to say that all people in one province have strong feelings about all people in another province. Get email updates from your favourite authors. 2023 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay, Rex Murphy and others. Be part of thePolicy Optionsdiscussion, and send in your own submission. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay, Rex Murphy and others. 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. RELATED:The answer to Justin Trudeaus Western cabinet problem. Do you stuff your piggy bank if you dont trust your parents not to knick it? When a reporter parachutes into cattle country to root out a racist wacknut, the outlier and the anecdote become proof of the corrupt and immoral nature of the province and its political culture as a whole. It was a move that produced nothing but recrimination. have lower tax rates at their bottom brackets (5.05 per cent and 5.06 per cent, respectively), their basic personal exemptions are also about half that of Alberta. 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. Our work is not to make federalism work, Blanchet said in his election-night speech, shortly after so many praised him for being so polished and articulate in the debates. I don't pretend to have answers or solutions. There is a moral component to which industries were choosing to transition. The oil sands are greenhouse gas intensive. You are welcome to republish this Policy Options article online and in print periodicals. When Justin Trudeau forgot to mention Alberta during his Canada Day speech, aggrieved westerners reached for a familiar response to a slight from the East. Alberta calls Ontario the "center of the universe" then proceeds to claim its the entire driver of the Canadian . He did. The new government then went ahead and eliminated the flat tax, itself. In 2017, Trudeau told a town hall in Peterborough, Ont. We are a country in which proximity or geography may or may not play a role in how close we feel to each other, very much depending on the other factors at play, Kurl explained. There are no easy answers to the questions that siege mentality raises. 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. At least, not yet. Confederation is hopelessly broken. Canadians entertained racist thoughts they wouldnt speak in public. Super Bowl-winning athlete talks football, his medical career and the importance of skin care. So let's take a look at the math to see how Alberta's previous and current tax systems compare both to each other, and to the rest of the country. There is a moral component to which industries were choosing to transition. The oil sands are greenhouse gas intensive. Once your province has cultivated a reputation for being a redneck backwater, well, thats a hard one to break. Didnt he buy you a pipeline?. If you have a favourite, you also likely have a least favourite - whether you realize it or not. I just had to comment because long gone are the days of the nice Newfoundlander, and there is a good reason for that. Click here for a version that should work with your mobile device.). 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. Eventually, the questions wend their way to separation. The delays included resistance from Albertans who weren't sure they had enough material to sell East and a preference to sell to the United States. 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.. As in the early 1980s, oil and gas is the flashpoint between Ottawa and Alberta. Quebec is a particular irritant for Kenney because the province receives the largest dollar amount of Equalization and is opposed to pipelines, thus frustrating Albertas efforts to get its oil and gas to markets. So, what do they ask? His papa hated Alberta and the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Payments from the federal government to have-not provinces are based on their fiscal capacity, but wealthier provinces receive nothing. To make matters worse, 53% of the Canadians in the study believe that Quebec takes more than it gives to the Confederation. 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. Its a sign of open disrespecteven war, in some places. 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. A key but often overlooked part of Alberta's income-tax system is the generous personal exemption that everyone receives. Theyve been the subject of years of protests and exposs. At that level, Albertans pay more than both Ontarians and British Columbians. The only headquarters this government is passionate about preserving are the ones named SNC and located in Montreal, apparently. In 2012, he said on Radio-Canada: I always say, if there came a point where I thought Canada really was Stephen Harpers Canadathat we were against abortion, against gay marriage, that we went backwards in 10,000 different waysmaybe Id consider making Quebec a country. It's the politicians that are the problem, B.C. And, 21 per cent of Quebecers feel that way about their own province, too. After all, what good has that done? Equalization is a concept enshrined in the Constitution, but for Alberta, it could become the new NEP if not managed well. Thats one disadvantage of the Alberta Advantage. No one is talking about transitioning B.C.s forestry industry, despite the fact that the provinces forests are a major carbon sink. Though it seems the biggest bone both Alberta and Saskatchewan have to pick is with Quebec. 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. They ask why it seems like the discussion always has to be a zero-sum game. 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. 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. Landlocking ourselves through separation is not a solution, he said. Robson Fletcher's work for CBC Calgary focuses on data, analysis and investigative journalism. Read more about cookies here. From the usual short-fused social media users to conservative leaders, its not hard to find anger in Alberta about equalization payments. Kenney has promised to hold a referendum on Equalization if the program is not changed to reduce the unfairness he perceives in its design. 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. To make matters worse, 53% of the Canadians in the study believe that Quebec takes more than it gives to the Confederation. There are random questions. They don't know why, they just do. Were not alone., RELATED:Encana doesnt want to be Canadian anymore, and Trudeau shrugs. In a bid to woo Albertans in the recent Conservative Party leadership race, Maxime Bernier said he would freeze the program and completely rethink it. Kenney claims Equalization has become unfair to Alberta. Access articles from across Canada with one account. He was an embarrassment to Alberta. But on one particular subject, at least amonga small group, I am the go-to person. Narcity Media Inc. Quebec is getting no love in this recent study that shows which provinces Canadians love and hate the most. If so, what is an Albertan meant to conclude from this? This goes a long way back to the corrupt and irrational politics of Alberta. The bulk of the adult, tax-filing population some 1.9 million people fell somewhere in between $25,000 and $150,000. The Ontario group, formed in fall . For example, Quebec and Manitoba have government-owned hydro companies and could artificially keep prices low. 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. 7. Their taxes would be lower stillif the province were to revert to its flat tax system. If you forget about us, tweet after tweet from Alberta read, perhaps well forget about our payments to the equalization program. (Can't see the chart? But when people think of taxes, they often think first of income tax. A national media based primarily in the East seemed to declare the Bloc the only unmitigated winner in this federal election. Jason Kenney, the premier of Alberta, does not get such an easy ride. 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. Some Albertans look at per capita federal transfer payments equalization is just one and the massive amount of federal income tax flooding into Ottawa from Alberta, and believe theyre getting a raw deal. The Liberals will never look after us. Theyve been the subject of years of protests and exposs. What to know about the PM's brother, Federal government reaches agreement for a new wage deal with striking workers, Jamie Sarkonak: Censorious Liberal attempt to block news article shows why they want to control the internet. For merely bringing up the fact that separatist sentiment in Alberta is on the risea trend apparent years before he returned to Midnapore. He is a senior fellow with the, Graham Centre for Contemporary International History, Trinity College, University of Toronto. #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/7xbZlMfyk5. The indifference of the nation is justified. 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. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Click or tap on the tabs below to switch between jurisdictions: In a nutshell, Albertansacross the income spectrum pay less tax on their earnings than people in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. Prince Edward Island was omitted from the chart due to too small of a sample size. 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. 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. Just one per cent of Albertans and two per cent of Saskatchewanians feel Quebec is friendly towards their province. Angus Reid. 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. Albertans hated his father. Next to pipelines, the thing Alberta Premier Jason Kenney seems to want most is a concession on Equalization, the program that redistributes $19 billion in federal revenue from richer to relatively poorer provinces, to ensure comparable levels of public services can be delivered across the country. But neither has Trudeau done much to ease fears or restore trust. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Albertans have a way of adopting Central Canadians as "True Albertans" and ignoring and shaming those actually born and raised in Alberta as "not real Albertan". Quebec: Does anyone know what is required to get from Quebec to usa? The differences are largely aesthetic and emotional. Sorry, PEI. 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. 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.