From a purely environmental perspective the arguments used against the oil sands can be deployed against these, too. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. A year later the Trudeau Liberals unveiled the infamous National Energy Program (NEP). I know it is the oil culture that people dislike but whenever something crappy happens there, people make fun of the entire province. Its a sign of open disrespecteven war, in some places. That is why we are rude to you, we don't want you here, nor do we want your modern problems that you have on the mainland. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. So, what do they ask? Nearly 40 years ago, in February 1980, Pierre Trudeau won a majority government with two seats in western Canada and none west of Manitoba. 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. But even if the province reverted to its old system, most Albertans would still pay more than people in B.C. Shut down the oil sands and avoid the much harder questions about why they exist. 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. Except during federal election campaigns and big crises, 'politics' in Quebec means 'provincial politics' almost exclusively. Whatever you do, don't forget to mention Alberta. 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. 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. We've helped lots of families relocate and we'd love to help you too! Trudeau bought the TMX line though the purchase offered absolutely no electoral benefit to himself or his party. 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. Here is how Rachel Notley could really take the boots to B.C. Transportation is one of this countrys top greenhouse gas culprits, yet I cannot imagine Trudeau making a similar comment about southwest Ontarios car manufacturing plants, nor Quebecs aviation industry. Even Facebook online. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. But the bust was inevitable and predictable. It's around the $150,000 mark that Alberta returns to the lowest income-tax burden of all provinces. 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. He left the CBC earlier this year. 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. Alberta heard not a peep from him when Encana announced last. Tensions have been high between Canadas westernmost provinces, with Alberta and BC being at odds over the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project for the better part of 2018. The median individual income was $41,770. No one in Alberta appears overly. 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. The first: Are they serious? Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay, Rex Murphy and others. 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. 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. On the other end of the spectrum, about 950,000 Albertanshad incomes of less than $25,000. Do you stuff your piggy bank if you dont trust your parents not to knick it? The gap between Alberta and B.C. This goes a long way back to the corrupt and irrational politics of Alberta. The 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. I have a hard time believing that Albertans "hate" people from Quebec. Ginned up, the crowd chants: The West wants out. A recent Ipsos poll conducted for Global News found that roughly half of. Ontarians aren't fond of anyone; Alberta is the province most-liked by Ontarians, but only 28 per cent of them hold that affection; and 40 per cent of Ontarians don't consider any other province. People were way friendlier for instance. Further, Kenney went on to explain the crucial problem with the separtist argument. Top picks for different budgets, brands and other preferences. grows as you approach $75,000. and about $18,000 less than in Quebec. Worryingly, from a national unity perspective, Canadas least favourite province is Qubec, the poll found, Top picks for different budgets, brands and other preferences. Copyright 2023 Buzz Connected Media Inc. Daily Hive is a Canadian-born online news source, established in 2008, that creates compelling, hyperlocal content. There is a moral component to which industries were choosing to transition. The oil sands are greenhouse gas intensive. 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. Here's total per capita federal transfers to prov govts for 2016/17. Email us at:calgarytheroadahead@cbc.ca. Days after the 2006 general election, Stephen Harper convinced a Liberal MP, David Emerson, to join his Conservative cabinet. Or: If they need revenue, why don't they have a sales tax? NaughtyOne88 6 mo. Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Joignez-vous aux dbats dOptions politiqueset soumettez-nous votre texte en suivant cesdirectives. The differences are largely aesthetic and emotional. Landlocking ourselves through separation is not a solution, he said. Alberta, with its lower tax rates and lack of provincial sales tax, doesnt have the same luxury because the equalization program assumes the province could just raise taxes if it needed to. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. It isnt calling for a values test for new immigrants. Theyve been the subject of years of protests and exposs. | Do you have something to say about the article you just read? But then so did Brexit. Jen Gerson: 'Wexit' reflects a cartoon version of the province that other Canadians find easy to attackbecause it spares them the burden of self-examination, By Jen Gerson The real sore thumb that stuck out, however, was everyprovinces view of Quebec. 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. The program intends to make sure provinces are providing comparable services across the country, but more often it is a political talking point. Often they want to know what makes Albertans so irate and angry at just about everyone else in Canada, and, in particular, those of us in the now-fabled 905 area code. 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. Get email updates from your favourite authors. And thirdly, I would say we have allies across Canada. Super Bowl-winning athlete talks football, his medical career and the importance of skin care. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account. Even where theres some love, its unrequited by Ontarians. 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. In an election year, said Kurl, the complicated Canadian family makes it difficult for any party leader to campaign on a unified message. Baked into that moral calculus is an implicit political one: its a very fine thing to wipe an industry off the map in a part of the map that doesnt matter. I don't pretend to have answers or solutions. ago Favoured Alberta Son? While Ontario and B.C. But I have a perspective and thoughts about where the frustration and anger come from that was formed from my time in Calgary, and by a brother-in-law in Red Deer who never misses a chance to remind me how important the oil and gas industry is to Ontario's economy. November 7, 2019, The baseball caps were sold to the side of the rally at the Boot Scootin Boogie Dancehall last Saturday night. It should have a board of directors made up of eminent Albertans. 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. Ontarians arent fond of anyone; Alberta is the province most-liked by Ontarians, but only 28 per cent of them hold that affection; and 40 per cent of Ontarians dont consider any other province to be particularly close to them. 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 . Just one per cent of Albertans and two per cent of Saskatchewanians feel Quebec is friendly towards their province. 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. 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. 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? Were not alone., RELATED:Encana doesnt want to be Canadian anymore, and Trudeau shrugs. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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". 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. 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? The Three Percenters' private Facebook groups reveal the Alberta chapter has nearly 3,000 members, although the Vice report estimates only 150 to 200 are active. Finance Canada recently completed a review of Equalization but the government refused to make any substantive changes to the formula. Theyre a scapegoat, a channel for all the guilt and anxiety that we. 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. We have provincial governments who have got our backwere not isolated. By comparison, the bottom 50 per cent paid2.3 per cent of the income tax. 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. And, sure enough, Elections Canada forms are flying around the room. It will take at least that much to contain Alberta alienation after this election outcome. What's even more surprising is that 21% of Quebecers actually agree! RELATED:Could Chrystia Freeland save Canada? Ottawa isnt going to give a bunch of rednecks a fair hearing, or a fair deal. That would be a virtual impossibility. #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/7xbZlMfyk5. Alberta's income tax 'advantage' exists for the poor and the rich, but not those in between | CBC News Loaded. For merely bringing up the fact that separatist sentiment in Alberta is on the risea trend apparent years before he returned to Midnapore. And 77 per cent of Albertans say that Saskatchewans a friend; 75 per cent of them reciprocate that feeling. But, middle-income Albertans who account for the bulk of the population pay more than those in Ontario and B.C. 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. 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. 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. 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. It's silly to say that all people in one province have strong feelings about all people in another province. 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. Theyre a scapegoat, a channel for all the guilt and anxiety that we Canadians feel about our greenhouse-gas intensive lifestyles. And it should have sufficient funds say, $500 million a year to make an impact on the ground in that province. 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. We are cutting this parasite off from your wallets.. Click herefor a version that should work with your mobile device.). It feels too futilelike trying to explain an emotion (and a not-always-rational one, as is the way with emotions)to people who dont want to hear it. Be part of thePolicy Optionsdiscussion, and send in your own submission. 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. 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. He was an embarrassment to Alberta. Once again, Albertans are going to see their own grievances reflected back at them through warped glass. 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. And that's where many people might be surprised about Alberta. Now, it does not surprise me in the least that blue collar truckers and patch workers would hold views toward matters like asylum-seekers that would not earn them a warm welcome at a cocktail party in the Annex. It seems like a more benign entity now for being merely opportunistic in its pursuit of an ever-better deal for Quebec. In 1957, the Liberals pushed through a trans-national pipeline to deliver natural gas from Alberta to central Canada after several years of delays, crises and complications. Within days, he turned on that position entirely. After all, what good has that done? 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. The oil price crash that continues to weigh on the economy was no politicians fault. The green left has been leading a campaign to landlock our energy. 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. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Our family lived in Calgary for more than 15 years before moving back to Ontario. 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 I do predict is that the Wexit leaders currently fronting Facebook pages will be discredited. As if he needed the boost. 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. When we hear different premiers talking about wildly different competing priorities or pointing out a sense of lack of parity or unfairness around certain issues, that is something that is very much in alignment with what people in their own provinces are thinking, said Kurl. But even if the province reverted to its old system, most Albertans would still pay more than . How do you get Justin Trudeau to say Alberta?Quit paying equalization. Can it be fixed? His assessment of Trudeau as an "empty trust fund millionaire who has the political depth of a finger bowl" is, to put it mildly, one of the more caustic assessments of a political opponent. Well, I'm glad you asked. 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. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Originally published on Policy Options November 1, 2019. Here is alinkon how to do it. Answer: I suppose so, but not many people including Premier Jason Kenney seem too worried about Wexiters (really, really bad branding, by the way). It may buy time for the Trans Mountain pipeline to be built, for economic conditions to improve, or for political tensions to ease. Quebec: Does anyone know what is required to get from Quebec to usa? 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. 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 are random questions. The Alberta agency should be headquartered in Calgary, the heart of the provinces business community. 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. Nefarious far-right conspiracies born in the dark heart of oil country, though never quite proven, are assumed. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY. 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. Read more about cookies here. A rule that made sense a decade ago, when Canada was in recession, might not make as much sense today. All was forgiven and forgotten. Many Albertans circle this square with the assumption that Trudeau bought the pipeline to kill ita conspiracy that doesnt make much sense when you consider the expansion would be dead already if the federal government had done nothing. That's a matter of political debate. 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. 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. In this case, the Angus Reid Institute found that the most disliked province was none other than Quebec. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay, Rex Murphy and others. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. 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. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. But the bust was inevitable and predictable. 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? Robson Fletcher's work for CBC Calgary focuses on data, analysis and investigative journalism. It is very much a story of unrequited love in different parts of the country, said Kurl. Sorry, PEI. Finance Canada recently completed a review of Equalization but the government refused to make any substantive changes to the formula. Kenney has promised to hold a referendum on Equalization if the program is not changed to reduce the unfairness he perceives in its design. Pro-pipeline protesters outside a venue where Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau was speaking in 2018 (Jeff McIntosh/CP). If each of your parents are of 2 ethnicities, do you wind up with one of each or are you a quarter of each? But it is going to take more than a part-time sage like me or a full-time one, for that matter to come up with the answers. Where Alberta only feels they are close with Saskatchewan. They look ugly. The characature of "Albertan" means more to people here than the truth. The Wexit Facebook page now boasts about a quarter-million members and its founder, Peter Downing, took to the front of the room wearing an Edmonton Eskimos jersey and asked the crowd to remove those caps to observe a moment of silence for the Alberta workers who have committed suicide since oil priced dropped in 2014, and the province lost an estimated 150,000 jobs. Politics in Alberta is weird, and we live in weirder times. 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. If Trudeau wants to listen to the grievances of the West, he can pick up the phone and talk to anyone he likes. CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. When Kenney pins this decline on Trudeau, the East is not wrong to be a bit baffled. Here, we answer common questions and dispel some myths about the most resilient Alberta bogeyman. 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. Angus Reid. Answer (1 of 10): You tell me. The survey also asked respondents if they thought that there might be one province in the Federation that gets more than they give by being a part of Canada, and the consensus overwhelmingly showed Quebec as that province even from Quebecois themselves. Alberta governments of every stripe love talking about the "tax advantage" in this province. Rather than shame the province out of the folly of separatism, I fear this will have the opposite effect. Justin Trudeau speaks on Canada Day. I wouldnt be surprised to see Wexit morph, in the national subconscious, into a fever dream of white nationalist uprising. Canadians are seen as friendly people on the international stage, but just how neighbourly are we with our fellow patriots across the country? The movement will probably be riddled by alt-right wannabes, conspiracy theorists, and anti-immigration zealots. Eugene Lang is assistant professor at the school of policy studies at Queens University. But they also can hold two contradictory thoughts in their heads, and they don't doubt that Albertans in the energy industry need more help and support for whatever the future holds. Yet Alberta isnt passing legislation like Bill 21, which would bar members of the public service from wearing religious garb. 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. We ask that you follow these guidelines. There are no easy answers to the questions that siege mentality raises. For example, Alberta pulls in about $1,388 per capita, while Nova Scotia gets $3,243 per capita in federal transfers. Ive just noticed that Albertans (online and even when you talk to them in RL), they seem to hate Qubec alot and will also blame a lot of things on Qubec. A key but often overlooked part of Alberta's income-tax system is the generous personal exemption that everyone receives. But its a habit that leaves Albertans constantly seeing themselves and their grievances reflected back at them through a profoundly distorted lens. More than 700 people arrived at the event in Edmonton to hear a few speakers extol the benefits of Western separation. 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. Albertans must know that climate change is something the world is taking seriously; that demand for the oilsands will, inevitably, declineand this province along with it if it fails to diversify its economy. This is typically expressed by income percentile, and those at the very top pay by far the most, per person. If Ontario and Quebec, with the first- and second-largest gross domestic products respectively among the provinces, can have their own federal agencies for economic development, so should Alberta, which has the third-largest GDP not to mention the biggest economic adjustment challenge of any province if Canada is to move down the path to the decarbonization of its economy.
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