'Stirring up sentiment': Trudeau pours cold water on Kenney’s equalization vote
It’s a red-hot political topic in Alberta, but the prime minister says it’ll take a lot more than a vote in just one province to end equalization in Canada.
Albertans voted on the issue Monday, in a provincial referendum that was tied to municipal elections.
The governing UCP heavily promoted a “yes” vote on the question of removing equalization from the country’s constitution in an effort to get a “fair deal” for Alberta.
“To eliminate equalization, which is what’s proposed in Jason Kenney’s referendum, is something that cannot be done by the federal government,” Justin Trudeau said Thursday.
“It needs to be done by the federal government working with seven provinces or territories representing over 50 per cent of the Canadian population.”
The final results were expected to be released Oct. 26, but partial results released by some municipalities showed about 60 per cent of Albertans who voted agreed with Kenney.
“We are looking for a majority to say ‘yes’ to a fair deal. This is a commitment we gave Albertans in the last election,” the premier said on Tuesday.
“If we do see that endorsement of the referendum, we would then move forward with a motion in the legislature…to ratify this request for a constitutional amendment, and then move forward with Ottawa on those negotiations.”
Trudeau countered by accusing Kenney of making the issue “incredibly political.”
He again pointed out that the current deal was written by Stephen Harper’s conservative government, in which Kenney was a cabinet minister.
“He himself contributed and approved of the current equalization formula that he’s now stirring up sentiment against a few years later. I find that the kind of politics that is not necessarily helpful,” the prime minister said.
Equalization sees some tax money collected by the federal government redistributed from wealthier provinces to lower-income ones to ensure a basic level of service for all.
Because of high wages, Albertans usually pay more into the program than they receive back in federal transfers.
Kenney has said Alberta has concerns over billions of dollars its residents pay, while provinces such as British Columbia and Quebec obstruct oil and pipeline projects that underpin that wealth.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.