EDMONTON, AB, NOVEMBER 10, 2021 – Statistics Canada data updated for 2020 shows a net $10 billion inflow to Alberta from Ottawa, but given this is purely borrowed money for pandemic supports it in no way indicates that other provinces are suddenly supporting Albertans. On the contrary, once the share of debt is included, Albertans’ not only made a net contribution in 2020, it was the highest per capita.
“The federal government took on hundreds of billions in debt for pandemic supports, so of course technically every province was a net recipient in 2020,” said Fairness Alberta Executive Director Dr. Bill Bewick. “It’s frustrating to hear this called a vindication of fairness in the federation, though, because once you add Alberta’s share of that borrowing, we are still making the biggest net contribution in 2020 despite our struggles.”
According to Dr. Trevor Tombe’s analysis, Albertans net contributed $14.7 billion in 2020 once you include a per capita share of the debt taken on to fund that spending. As Dr. Tombe’s chart including debt shows, 2020 was not all that different, with the same three provinces contributing.
As shown at www.fairnessalberta.ca, Albertans contributed an average of $20 billion net to the rest of Canada annually from 2007-2019, which works out to roughly $20,000 per family of four being spent in other provinces, regardless of the needs in Alberta.
“When Albertans made those net contributions to Canada, those dollars directly benefited other provinces. Nobody paid for this $10 billion net to Albertans in 2020 – it’s all debt, and Albertans will more than pay it back,” added Bewick.
Fairness Alberta is a grassroots, non-partisan, and non-separatist association of concerned citizens, aiming to increase awareness across the country related to Albertans’ major contributions to Canada, while also providing clear, factual information on unfair federal policies that are anticipated to undermine the prosperity of Alberta and other contributing provinces further.
Our previous releases, interviews, columns, and presentations to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance can be found in the NEWS section of our website. For more information on Fairness Alberta, its mandate, and future plans, please visit our website at www.fairnessalberta.ca.
For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Bill Bewick, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Fairness Alberta
Cell: (780) 996-6019
Email: [email protected]