Alberta wants a fair deal from Canada, but can’t seem to get one. Should it build a firewall? Stop trying? Separate? ...
If attempts to strengthen Alberta’s position in the federation are
ignored, the bolder option for a common market, a break from Canada and
closer association with the United States, will become the only credible
course of action. ...
Alberta has a serious need to strengthen its economic position within Confederation. The status quo is no longer viable.
There are a couple of sensible ways this might be accomplished in the near term, but if those efforts fail, Alberta might be left with no choice but to break with Canada and pursue a closer associating with the United States.
Indeed, a common market association with the U.S. may be the only credible course of action.
The health of Alberta’s economy and the province’s ability to trade with the rest of Canada and the world is not simply dictated by the laws of supply and demand, but also critical considerations of public regulation, judicial decision-making, political stability and market access, which, in recent years, have posed major challenges and risks to Alberta’s economic health, growth and development ...
Alberta was “by far the largest net fiscal contributor (of any province) over the period 1974-1985, with an average annual net contribution of $7,512 per person, and over the period 1993-2018, with an average annual net contribution of $4,546 per person.” ...
Internal free trade also continues to meet with resistance, primarily from Quebec and Ontario ...
Alberta’s leverage on federal transfers should be used to try to reverse the trend in the past decade during which actions ... by Ottawa and certain provinces have hobbled Alberta ... But if attempts to strengthen Alberta’s position in the federation are ignored, the bolder option for a common market, a break from Canada and closer association with the United States, will indeed become the only credible course of action.
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