Last January, Angus Reid found out that 76 per cent of Albertans felt they got a “raw deal” from being part of Canada. They were certainly right—at least in part. If Albertans were as well represented as Quebec is in Parliament, they would have 40 MPs and 12 senators, not 34 and 6 as it is today. But the fiscal story is even worse. Forty-four per cent of what Albertans send to Ottawa each year never comes back. If you’re wondering how, read on.
“Of course Alberta is getting fleeced by Ottawa, just not in the way you think”, wrote Tristan Hopper in the National Post last year. Equalization accounts for only one of every 13 dollars that leaves Alberta for Ottawa—never to return.
