Equalization referendum passes by 62%
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131.65308
Summary
A total of 1,092,639 Albertans voted in a referendum on equalization, and most voted to keep the current formula that has seen billions of dollars sent out of Alberta to other provinces. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the premiers to begin negotiations.
Transcript
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Hello. I'm Dave Kneeler, the news editor of the Western Standard. Albertans have said
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they want equalization taken out of the Canadian Constitution. On Tuesday, Elections Alberta
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released the results of the October 18th ballot with 61.7% of people voting yes. 38% of people
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voted to keep the formula that has seen billions of dollars stream of Alberta to other provinces.
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The referendum question was, should Section 36 of the Constitution Act 1982, Parliament
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and the Government of Canada's commitment to the principle of making equalization payments,
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be removed from the Constitution? A total of 1,092,639 Albertans voted in the referendum.
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There were 50,969 rejected ballots and 49,336 blank ones. Premier Jason Kenney described the vote as
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a powerful statement. Quote, the Feds have an obligation to take it seriously and negotiate
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with us, said Kenney, calling on the Feds to, quote, demonstrate respect for the principle
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of democracy. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Prime Minister Trudeau and the
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Premiers to begin negotiations on equalization. Quote, Albertans have gone to the polls and sent
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a clear message that equalization isn't working and it's time for reform, said Kevin Lacey,
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the Alberta director of the CTF. Quote, Albertans clearly said they want a better deal from the
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federal government. Trudeau shouldn't ignore the 642,000 Albertans who went to the polls and voted for a
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fair deal. In 2018, the equalization formula was renewed by an act of parliament. It expires in
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March 31, 2024. Quote, the window of opportunity for reforming equalization is right now. The referendum
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has given Alberta's position a big boost, said Lacey. If you'd like to see how your area voted on
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equalization, just go to our website, westernstandardonline.com and follow the links. For the Western Standard,