Albertans vote to remove equalization, with over 61 percent saying ‘yes’

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Albertans voted to remove the equalization principle from Canada’s constitution, despite the fact that more than half of voters in the provincial capital oppose the measure.

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On Tuesday, Elections Alberta released the results of a non-binding October 18 referendum in which voters were asked whether “Canada’s commitment to the principle of making matching payments” should be removed from the constitution. Of those who voted, 61.7 percent answered “yes,” while 38.3 percent said “no.”

In Edmonton, 52 percent voted against the question, while 48 percent said they were in favor.

At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Alberta Prime Minister Jason Kenney said the result showed that “a clear majority” of Albertans reject the federal leveling program.

“This is a powerful statement today, a democratic statement, where Albertans demand to be respected,” he said. “We fully expect the prime minister to respect the constitutional amendment process and to sit down to negotiate with Alberta in good faith.”

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Alberta does not receive matching payments, which are distributed through federal tax money to ensure services are equal in all provinces, because Alberta workers earn the highest wages in the country.

Any change to the constitution requires the approval of the House of Commons, as well as the Senate and at least two-thirds of the provincial legislatures.

However, Kenney said the referendum does not focus so much on the equalization program as on a “broader reform of the fiscal federalism system” to secure a “better deal” for Alberta in the negotiations with Ottawa.

He said it could include the federal government lifting the cap on the fiscal stabilization program, repealing Bill C-48, which bans tanker trafficking off the northern coast of British Columbia, and repealing amendments to Bill C -69, which affects the construction of energy projects.

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Before Tuesday’s question period, House Leader Jason Nixon said he hopes to introduce and debate a motion Wednesday that, if passed, would ratify the results of the equalization referendum and formally initiate a constitutional amendment negotiation with the federal government.

Kenney said he did not have a specific timeline for when he expected to hear from Ottawa.

Rachel Notley, leader of the Alberta NDP, called the referendum “sloppy work” that could have garnered more support if it had been framed differently.

“If I had asked Albertans an honest question about how to fix the match or get a better deal with other federal programs, then we would have seen much more support in the referendum,” Notley said in a statement. But instead, less than one in four Albertans voted for a referendum question that even the prime minister told Albertans to ignore the fund.

“That actually weakens Alberta’s argument.”

More to come …

– With files from Ashley Joannou

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