Agenda Support

Support for the Alberta Agenda

Early support for the Alberta Agenda is as follows:

1. A poll commissioned by the ARL in March/03 showed 60% of Albertans want
stronger provincial government versus only 13% that want stronger federal government
concerning distribution of powers in Alberta.

2. A resolution endorsing the Alberta Agenda by the Municipal District of Willow
Creek.

3. A resolution endorsing the Alberta Agenda by the Foothills Littlebow Association,
whose members include the Municipal Districts of Foothills, Willow Creek, Ranchlands, Pincher Creek, Cardston, Taber, the Counties of Lethbridge, Warner, Forty Mile, Cypress, Vulcan, and Newell.

4. A resolution supporting the creation of an Alberta Pension Plan by the Red Deer
Chamber of Commerce.

5. A resolution supporting the creation of an Alberta Pension Plan by the Alberta
Chambers of Commerce.

6. Also, there is little active ideological resistance within Alberta's Conservative government and caucus to the Alberta Agenda. Many MLAs (32 at last count), even several in Cabinet, are well disposed. There is, however, the usual political inertia one finds in large, settled, secure governing parties. This complacency is shared by the senior bureaucracy, which prefers to leave things as they are.

7. A resolution in support of the Alberta Agenda as per the Alberta Residents League by the Western Stock Growers Association (WSGA)

8. Twelve Town Hall meetings attracting an average of 171 people per meeting for a total of 2052. The vast majority of those in attendance were in support of the Alberta Agenda.

9. Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta Policy Conference Nov. 14-15/2003. Top of the agenda was "Strengthening Alberta's Place in Confederation" (Alberta Agenda). Premier Klein announced the formation of an MLA committee to hold public forums.

10. Public Forums (12 in total) - Committee Chair MLA Ian McClelland and eight other MLAs. Supporters of the Alberta Agenda were well represented at these meetings. The vast majority of presenters let the committee know the status-quo by the Alberta government is not acceptable. The Committee report was conveniently released in early August 2004 while 1/2 of Albertans were on holidays. The report turned out to be a political document which did not reflect the true presentations or feelings of the majority of Albertans who presented at the forums.

11. Alberta Urban Municipalities Association - support creating an Alberta Pension Plan, collecting Personal Provincial Income tax, but does not support an Alberta Provincial Police Force.

12. A new JMCK poll commissioned by the Alberta Residents League (ARL) shows that nearly 7 out of 10 Albertans (68.9%) think Alberta is contributing too much to Ottawa in Equalization transfer payments.

The question in the Poll in part stated - "From 1961 to 1997 Albertans paid $167 billion into equalization while Quebec received $202 billion." This year alone Alberta will make another $9 billion in transfer payments to Ottawa with Quebec receiving 48% of the total.
To add insult to injury for Alberta/Albertans an article in the March 29, 2004 Globe and Mail divulged that--"one of the most guarded documents of the 1995 Quebec referendum campaign on sovereignty has been branded Plan O by the media." "It outlines, in detail, how then-premier Jacques Parizeau's Parti Quebecois government had set aside $17-billion to buy up Quebec bonds it anticipated would be dumped on the market by nervous investors after a referendum victory by the sovereigntists." We bet you can guess where the $17 billion came from! Had the Poll question or those who answered the Poll known about the above $17 billion, our bet is the percentage of Albertans thinking Alberta contributes too much would have been significantly higher.

13. At the Conservative Party of Alberta AGM held on the weekend of April 24/25 2004, Alberta Finance Minister at the time (Pat Nelson) stated publicly that for the year 2004 Alberta will contribute "more like $12,000,000,000 ($12 billion) to equalization."

14. Alberta Conservative Party AGM held weekend of April 24 - 25th, 2004 -- The Cypress Medicine Hat Constituency Association moved that Alberta set up a more affordable provincial alternative to the Canada Pension Plan. The proposal passed by a comfortable margin with no debate.

15. According to media articles Premiers Ed Stelmach is on side with creating our own Alberta Pension Plan (APP).

Support among Albertans in every walk of life is growing rapidly. And will continue to grow as long as the Alberta Agenda continues to be pushed. As more and more Alberta residents, local politicians, constituency executives and various groups and organizations learn more about the Alberta Agenda, pressure on the Stelmach government will continue to build.