Time to challenge transfer payments

Re: “Equalization has always been about keeping Quebec content,” Ted Morton, Opinion, April 7.

Alberta contributes about $20 billion annually to Canada’s various transfer and equalization programs. That’s an amount that leaves this province in the form of federal taxation and is redistributed to other parts of Canada.

Imagine waking up tomorrow in an alternate universe, whereby Quebec is contributing this amount to the rest of Canada. Considering Quebec has double the population of Alberta, that would be equivalent to $40 billion annually.

Quebecers would never stand for this. Separatist sentiment would spike overnight, and Quebecers would overwhelmingly vote to separate from Canada after a hastily organized sovereignty referendum.

I’m not suggesting that Albertans explore separation from Canada. Instead, the government of Alberta should retain the best legal and constitutional minds and charge them with challenging the federal laws that allow this situation to perpetuate. Bruce Robertson, Calgary