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Christ-centred. Creative. Canadian.
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My welcome to Canada occurred in Alberta in 1969. Edmonton is still “home” in my heart. Through work as a policy analyst of Western Canadian issues in the 1990s, including through the Quebec referendum, I gained an appreciation of the yin-yang tensions between Alberta and Quebec that make Canada a difficult country to govern. At the same time, the rich diversity from west to east makes Canada worth the work it takes to hold together.
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As the Alberta referendum approaches next month, I hope Albertans consider forward-looking options as they debate the significant issues on the referendum ballot.
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There is another yin-yang force at work in Canada. Canada is a federation of provinces with strong self-interests that threaten to pull us apart at times. Canada has also developed as a covenant between Canadians through policies that bind people together across provincial boundaries. The Canada Child Benefit, for example, is covenant-thinking; we commit together to help parents give every child across Canada a basic good start in life. From seniors’ benefits to conservation of national parks, policies based on covenant-thinking have strong support across Canada.
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There is another yin-yang force at work in Canada. Canada is a federation of provinces with strong self-interests that threaten to pull us apart at times. Canada has also developed as a covenant between Canadians through policies that bind people together across provincial boundaries. The Canada Child Benefit, for example, is covenant-thinking; we commit together to help parents give every child across Canada a basic good start in life. From seniors’ benefits to conservation of national parks, policies based on covenant-thinking have strong support across Canada.
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Now consider one of the long-standing Alberta grievances: equalization. I understand why it angers Albertans in its current form; it adds to tensions between provinces. It could be reformed as a covenant between Canadians, and I expect it would find broad support. The goal of equalization in the constitution is to reduce disparities in access to basic services. The reality is that disparity exists within provinces as much as between provinces – take, for example, the current issues about services in remote communities and urban centers. The shape of the program, which transfers federal tax dollars to some provinces and not others, creates tensions. The resentment in Alberta about paying too much and paying for services in Quebec is fueled by misinformation; that was also true inside Quebec when resentment and grievance stoked separatism in 1995. Although my research on equalization could dispel some myths, it would not remove resentment, some of which is legitimate.
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What all Canadians should be upset about is that provinces are not required to provide any public accountability for how money is spent to reduce disparity in services. If provinces had to provide the same level of outcome reports that community agencies have to provide to get taxpayer funds, Albertans, Quebecers and other Canadians could evaluate its worth. If it was reshaped as a covenant between Canadians, it could be used to help address the concerns about services for newcomers, a prominent theme in the referendum questions. That would also help prevent anti-immigrant attitudes that are being used to drive harmful wedges between people.
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You may be Albertan first and Canadian second. I am Canadian first and will never be an Ontarian. Provinces are important, but provincialism sometimes goes too far. Equally important are the covenants we make as Canadians to strengthen the ways Canada can be a place where everyone can flourish. Change in that direction will happen when Canadians work together across provincial boundaries instead of relying on political leaders who exploit geographical tensions for partisan advantage.
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The yin-yang factors in Canada will continue; they can work in healthy balance to increase justice and decrease injustice if citizens work together across borders and geographical identities.
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Did someone forward this newsletter to you?
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RAISE MY TAXES, ALBERTA
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Paying more in income and consumption taxes – so that we can depend less on royalties – is a way in which Albertans can contribute to the design of that more sustainable world, including to a more sustainable fiscal policy for our province.
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'A UNITED CANADA'
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The government of Alberta, led by United Conservative Party Premier Danielle Smith, has passed something that smacks of René Levesque’s paradoxical 43-year-old goal of sovereignty-association: Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act.
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AN 'ENOUGH' ECONOMY
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There is no question that oil has been a large economic driver for the province of Alberta, and we have not been very responsible with that precious non-renewable resource. What is the full environmental cost of moving away from oil to alternative energy sources?
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Fall is coming, and the birds are getting ready to migrate. But they're not the only thing travelling across North America; Christian Courier is transported throughout the continent. Do you live in the U.S.? No problem: we ship to the U.S. for free! Subscribe to CC in print and enjoy free shipping.
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