Special On-line Edition
Jay Bortnik’s
Alberta
Trivia
December 2018
Strong and Free
Know
Alberta Better
---
First • Foremost • Forever
I am eternally
grateful to
my Lord Jesus
Christ
for saving me
from hell.
Trust in the LORD with all thine
heart;
and lean not unto thine own
understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him
and he shall direct thy paths
(Proverbs 3:5-6).
---
Please
note: FACT sources are at the end.
Alberta’s Deal
Alberta’s Deal
with Canada
On December 14, 1929, the premier of
Alberta signed
an agreement
with the Canadian government.
The agreement finally awarded Alberta and Albertans
control and ownership of 80% of the natural
resources
within the
borders of Alberta.
Other provinces such as
Ontario, Quebec,
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,
Prince Edward
Island, and British Columbia
owned their natural resources
when they entered confederation.
Alberta, Saskatchewan
and Manitoba did not!
The full significance of this deal
would not be felt for almost 20 years
- when large
quantities of oil
were found near
Leduc in 1947.
---
Which premier of Alberta negotiated
and concluded this agreement
with the Dominion of Canada in
1929?
a) Alexander Rutherford
b) John E. Brownlee
c) Ernest C. Manning
d) Edgar P. Lougheed
(Answer at the
end)
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Questions that make us go hmm…
Does Canada still control and
effectively own Alberta’s resources through
effectively
higher federal taxes than others
and legal
control over Albertans’ exports?
How much has the
Canadian government
collected in
taxes over and above what
they provided
back to Albertans?
During that same
time,
how much has the
Alberta
government
collected in
resource
revenue?
Has Canada made
the
1929 resources agreement
of no effect for
Albertans today?
---
• Albertans pay more in federal tax
than they
receive back in federal benefits.
$40,000 for
every Albertan
or $221 billion
dollars (2007-2015)
And many more
billions
since the 1960s
in the name of
so-called provincial
equity.
• From 2007 to 2015,
Alberta collected
only $88 billion
in resource
revenue.
• Alberta uses its tax revenue in Alberta
• Canada uses the extra Alberta revenue
it collects (in
federal taxes)
in other parts
of Canada.
And here’s why the federal government can get away
with spending Albertan’s federal tax money
elsewhere:
---
Alberta
4 million Awesome Albertans
661,848 km²
$100 billion – International exports
34 Members of Parliament (MP)
6 Senators
---
The
Four Atlantic Provinces COMBINED
New Brunswick • Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia • Newfoundland
& Labrador
55% of Alberta’s Population
81% of
Alberta’s Area
30% of Alberta’s International Exports
94% of Alberta’s MPs
5 TIMES more Senators than Alberta
---
Saskatchwan & Manitoba
COMBINED
58% of Alberta’s Population
2 TIMES Alberta’s Area
43% of Alberta’s International Exports
82% of Alberta’s MPs
2 TIMES more Senators than Alberta
---
Quebec
2 TIMES
Alberta’s Population
2.3 TIMES Alberta’s Area
But only 83% of Alberta’s International Exports
2.3 TIMES more MPs than Alberta
4 TIMES more Senators than Alberta
---
British
Columbia
1.1
TIMES Alberta’s Population
1.4 TIMES Alberta’s Area
44% of Alberta’s International Exports
1.2 TIMES more MPs than Alberta
The same number of Senators as Alberta
---
Ontario
3.3 TIMES
Alberta’s Population
1.6 TIMES Alberta’s Area
But only 2 TIMES Alberta’s International Exports
3.6 TIMES more MPs than Alberta
4 TIMES more Senators than Alberta
---
How
can Albertans change this situation?
To change how
Canada is governed
requires the
agreement of at least
7 provinces with
at least 50% of Canada’s population.
The positive here
is:
If Albertans don’t
believe that 7 provinces will agree,
Then there are at least 8 other ways to make this
better.
Click here to find out what these ways are.
Click here to find out what these ways are.
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“You will determine
whether
or not you want to see
more
and more of your lives
directed
and controlled in Ottawa or
whether you want to see
a fair portion of the decision-making
determined by Albertans in Alberta.
If you
choose the latter,
I believe, over time,
we will
have a
stronger
Canada
and a
better Canada.”
Peter Lougheed
Albertan’s
10th Premier
1971 –
1985
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The Answer is: b) John Brownlee
---
alberta haiku
bison herds gather
elk island national park
steamy breaths rising
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Sources
John
Brownlee
Excess Alberta Federal
Tax Dollars
Lafleur, Steve, Ben Eisen, and Milagros Palacios
(2017). A Friend in Need: Recognizing Alberta’s Outsized Contribution to Confederation.
Fraser Institute.
Provincial
Populations
Population
and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2016 Census.
Statistics Canada. Catalogue no. 98-402-X2016001. Ottawa. Released
February 8, 2017.
Provincial
Areas
“Table 15.7 Land and freshwater
area, by province and territory,”
Statistics Canada. Canada Year Book 2010. Minister of Industry, 2010. Page 196.
Provincial International Exports
“Table
12-10-0002-01 International merchandise trade by province and
commodity (x 1,000,000),” Statistics Canada.
Exports for - Alberta, Newfoundland & Labrador, New
Brunswick,
Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, Saskatchewan,
British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario - Jan-Dec 2017.
(Unfortunately, you will have to follow their menus to retrieve the same
data)
Provincial
Representation in Canada’s Parliament
The Canadian
Senate Website.
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