Alberta’s referendum on equalization had little influence on Canadians’ support for the program, concludes a new national survey report released today.
Responses to the Confederation for Tomorrow survey, conducted online and by phone, suggest three-quarters of Canadians and 57 per cent of Albertans support equalization.
The survey included 5,461 adults and was conducted in January and February.
It’s the fourth consecutive year that the poll has been done and the results haven’t changed appreciably in that time for most measures, said Andrew Parkin, executive director of the Environics Institute for Survey Research.
The result comes five months after Alberta’s 2021 civic election suggested otherwise. The Oct. 18 referendum saw 62 per cent of voters support the removal of a Constitutional clause that commits Canada to the principle of equalization transfers to have-not provinces. Alberta cannot make that change unilaterally.
Equalization sees some tax money collected by the federal government redistributed from wealthier provinces to lower-income ones to ensure a basic level of service for all.
Premier Jason Kenney has said Alberta has concerns over billions of dollars its residents pay, while provinces such as British Columbia and Quebec obstruct oil and pipeline projects that underpin that wealth.
Test of referendum’s impact
Parkin thought that the referendum and campaign leading up to it would have moved the needle on the issue inside Alberta or elsewhere in the country.
“This program has withstood this period of scrutiny and criticism and still come out as something that Canadians favour,” he said Monday.
The Environics Institute collaborated with the Canada West Foundation, St. Francis Xavier University, the Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation and Centre D’Analyse Politique Constitution Fédéralism on the research.
After the October referendum, Premier Jason Kenney said the result sent a “powerful” message to the federal government to negotiate equalization changes that could be fairer to provinces like Alberta, with boom-and-bust economies tied to commodities.
According to the survey, only about one-third of Canadians — and 46 per cent of Albertans — want to restart constitutional talks to change equalization.
“It means the case hasn’t been made as widely as maybe the premier would want to have it made,” Parkin said.
Alberta had the largest proportion of respondents who correctly knew the province does not receive money through equalization. However, more than half of Albertans either thought the province does receive transfers or weren’t sure.
Parkin says he was surprised the referendum didn’t do more to improve the public’s understanding of the program.
There is no margin of error for the results, as most of the survey was conducted online.
‘Symbol of grievances’
Independent MLA Drew Barnes, who was voted out of the United Conservative Party caucus last year, said he’s frustrated by the government’s silence on equalization since the legislature ratified the referendum result in November.
“We’ve got a premier focused on his political life rather than the future and the financial health of our families,” Barnes said of Kenney’s upcoming party leadership review.
Barnes said Kenney should be pushing harder for a provincial police force, a provincial pension plan and Alberta’s own taxation system to put more pressure on Ottawa.
University of Calgary economics professor Trevor Tombe says the referendum was never about the merits of equalization and he’s unsurprised it didn’t sway public opinion.
“It was a symbol of grievances that touched on a host of other issues, from pipelines to provincial deficits,” Tombe said.
Although the government has said the referendum result should give them more leverage in negotiations with Ottawa, Tombe said that hasn’t been the result.
With oil and gas revenues gushing back into provincial coffers, there’s little reason for the Alberta government to flog the feds for its economic woes, he said.
In an email, Kenney’s press secretary Justin Brattinga pointed to an Ipsos survey in the government’s Fair Deal Panel report that found two-thirds of Albertans felt the province doesn’t get a fair shake from Confederation.
The majority of Canadians support equalization because their provinces are benefiting from it, he said.
“In Alberta, we are elected to represent Albertans and the views of Albertans, and that’s exactly what we are doing,” he said.
EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
