The backstory on equalization

Danielle Smith perpetuates the fiction of Albertans’ exploitation, arguing that her government should receive the same per capita equalization transfers as Ontario and Quebec. Slamming equalization is good politics for Alberta premiers because it feeds Albertans’ false sense of injustice.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, right, pictured on stage with Brian Lilley, at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference in Ottawa on April 10, 2025.

TORONTO—Much political hay is made about the Equalization Program. Alberta primarily, but some other provinces as well, have repeatedly pointed to its alleged inequities. Sec. 36 of the Constitution Act, 1982 entrenches the...

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