December 26, 2003
Action overdue
By LINK BYFIELD -- Calgary Sun

Brace yourself in the next year -- in fact in the next month -- for a rising tide of political ferment.

The Klein government's hearings into the Alberta Agenda open in Hinton on Jan. 15, travel to 11 more locations, and finish in Calgary March 4.

Ralph wants to hear what Albertans think about the way Ottawa treats us.

From the early signals just before Christmas, it looked like the response around the province to the committee of nine Tory MLAs, headed by Ian McClelland (Edmonton-Rutherford), was going to be big -- maybe very big.

Specifically, citizens are being asked whether Alberta should take control of its share of the Canada Pension Plan, the local policing duties of the RCMP, and collection of provincial personal income tax.

These together constitute the "Alberta Agenda."

Legally, the government of Alberta has a clear constitutional and statutory right to take over all three.

But should it?

I'm sure some Albertans will insist everything's just fine the way it is, and all these activities are best left to Uncle Ottawa.

Why make other Canadians even madder at us than they already are?

This would be sensible if things really were fine. But they aren't.

Let's not forget the giant sucking sound we've been hearing for so long we hardly think of it.

That's the $9 billion a year Ottawa vacuums out of the Alberta economy each year, never to return.

It's the difference between the $24 billion Ottawa takes out in all forms of federal revenue and the $15 billion it sends back in all forms of federal spending.

If you like math, the $9 billion difference works out to $1 million an hour.

In the two minutes it took you to read this far, Ottawa siphoned $33,000 out of Alberta. It's $9,000 per average family, annually.

It's a steady year-after-year loss of about 6% of Alberta's provincial economy.

Apparently, however, $9 billion isn't enough.

As the next federal election looms, Quebec is quietly pushing Ottawa to increase what Alberta pays, and what Quebec receives, by changing the federal Equalization formula. Golly, which province will Prime Minister Paul Martin of Montreal favour --Alberta or Quebec?

There are two main arguments for the Alberta Agenda.

First, Albertans would get better services at lower cost if they looked after these jobs themselves.

Second, until Alberta fully exercises its constitutional rights and responsibilities, Ottawa will go on getting worse. And why shouldn't it? If Albertans don't defend themselves, why should Ottawa?

That's what happens to people who shirk their responsibilities. Their lives are "managed" by others, along with their bank accounts.

According to the Fraser Institute, an Alberta Pension Plan would pay seniors the same benefits they now get under the CPP -- while saving working Albertans $300 each per year, or $500 per family.

At the same time, it would deprive Ottawa of close to

$2 billion annually.

Politically, it would be a very gutsy thing for Alberta to adopt the Alberta Agenda.

Most politicians will want to play it safe.

"Let's start with easier things," they'll say.

"Let's all complain some more about the wheat board monopoly and gun control, and Kyoto.

Let's explain that this time we're really, really upset -- we really, really mean it.

Then, once we've made some progress on these, we'll try to get other provinces on side and talk about national reform of the CPP."

Yes, that would be safe, and a total waste of time. We've been talking about all these for years -- talking and talking and talking.

And Ottawa just laughs at us and keeps pumping.

Albertans should turn out by the hundreds at these hearings to tell the McClelland Committee the talking is now done.

It's time to act.