Category: equalization payments

Alberta Government Paper Calls for Change or End to Federal Equalization Program

April 23, 2023
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EDMONTON—Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government has heard “loud and clear from Albertans that the federal equalization program is unfair and must be changed or abolished.” In a April 21 news release accompanying a position paper title Responding to Canada’s Growth Challenge – Options to Reform Equalization, Smith suggests that the current program “creates barriers…

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Ottawa Announces Record $24 Billion in Equalization Payments

December 17, 2022
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The federal government has announced it will provide a record $24 billion in equalization payments in 2023–24 with Quebec, Manitoba, and Maritime provinces being the main recipients. Announced on Dec. 15, the latest figure of $23.96 billion represents a $2 billion increase from 2022–23. Equalization, a federal program that sees the transfer of tax dollars…

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Alberta Sounds Battle Cry for Sovereignty

October 27, 2021
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Commentary Some Albertans may have fallen out of love with Premier Jason Kenney, but they know he is right about equalization. As reported on Oct. 26 by Elections Alberta, 62 percent of voters want equalization removed from the Canadian Constitution. That level of support could well have been 20 points higher if it were not…

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Albertans Vote Against Equalization. What Happens Now?

October 27, 2021
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Albertans voted to remove equalization from the Canadian Constitution in the recent provincial referendum. The question remains, what happens now, if anything. The referendum, held in conjunction with municipal elections on Oct. 18, asked Albertans if they wanted Section 36(2) of the Constitution Act repealed to end equalization, a federal program that has taken over…

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Albertans Vote to Scrap Equalization

October 26, 2021
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Over 60 percent of Albertans have voted to remove the principle of equalization from the Constitution. The results of the Oct. 18 poll, held in conjunction with municipal and school board elections across the province, were released on Oct. 26. A second referendum question on keeping daylight time year-round failed by a small margin, 49.9…

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