The newly elected Alberta government campaigned on a promise to hold a referendum on Equalization in 2021.
Unfortunately, this pledge was later made contingent on the construction of the TransMountain pipeline.
A conditional referendum is not enough.
Regardless of whether or not this or other pipelines are built, the Equalization system is fundamentally unfair and ineffective.
The Equalization system has become a wealth redistribution scheme that simply takes resources out of the pockets of Albertans to pay for lavish social programs in other provinces.
For example, most Albertans must spend thousands of dollars for their own childcare while paying higher taxes to subsidize $7/day childcare in Quebec, the only province in Canada to have a universal child daycare system.
This inequality is just one of many examples of how the equalization system is abused.
The system isn’t even good for provinces that receive transfers either, as it makes them reliant on these payments and disincentivizes good policy reform.
Socialism doesn’t work, nor does socialism for provinces - it’s time to end equalization for good.